Its taken awhile, but it seems the streak of mediocre games-to-film may be ending as Hollywood continues to give the genre greater traction and (most importantly) more attention. In a move that's destined to send lightning bolts through naysayers who've dismissed the possibility of 'good' film translations of popular gaming franchises, Blizzard and Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros have announced the director of the upcoming live-action Warcraft movie, and its a doozy.
Sam Raimi, beloved director of the dizzying Spiderman trilogy and cult franchise Evil Dead will now lead an army of humans, orcs and 'others' into battle on the silver screen. Charles Roven (The Dark Knight) will share producing duties alongside a host of venerated talent with plans to bring Blizzard's popular franchise (in all its iterations) to the big-screen in ways that will please fans and audiences alike. Says Raimi on his involvement in wildly-anticipated project:
"At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story...I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen."
While Raimi's talent and popularity flow between the cult and mainstream, his most noticable success, Spiderman, is widely considered a main factor in establishing the comicbook genre as a serious force in the film industry. While most game-to-film tranlsations have failed to excite the box-office, whether Rami and his crew can once again chance the hearts and minds of audiences remains to be seen. His last directorial effort, the return-to-form Drag Me To Hell, was met with massive critical acclaim but lukewarm returns. Warcraft will indeed be an interesting experiment, and best of luck to all involved!
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