Sam Raimi to direct WOW film -- good news?

[Martok]

Link


As someone who's never played World of Warcraft, I'm rather ambivalent myself. Still, he's probably a better choice than Jerry Bruckheimer or -- gods forbid -- Michael Bay. Will be interesting to see if this will be any good (although I still doubt it).

[Hooahguy]

are you kidding me???

a movie about WoW???


the only games fit to be made into movies are the action/FPS genre.
on a side note, im bitterly disappointed that the book Rainbow Six wasnt made into a movie.

[Monk]

As someone who has played World of Warcraft I can only suspect that the live action adaptation will truly be a chimera of failure. But you just know that it'll do good opening weekend thanks to all the people who still play going to see it out of morbid curiosity. As part of my rehab i'm not allowed to be within 30 yards of anything warcraft related.. lest I trigger the disease.

Have we learned nothing from Wing Commander?!

[TinCow]

List of movies based on video games from Wikipedia:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

* Super Mario Bros.: Peach-Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen! (July 20, 1986)
* Super Mario Bros. (May 28, 1993)
* Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture (July 16, 1994)
* Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie (August 6, 1994)
* Double Dragon (November 4, 1994)
* Street Fighter (December 23, 1994)
* Mortal Kombat (August 18, 1995)
* Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (November 21, 1997)
* Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back (July 18, 1998)
* Wing Commander (March 12, 1999)
* Pokémon: The Movie 2000 - The Power of One (July 17, 1999)
* Pokémon 3: The Movie - Spell of the Unown (July 8, 2000)
* Shenmue: The Movie (January 20, 2001)
* Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (June 15, 2001)
* Pokémon 4Ever - Celebi, Voice of the Forest (July 7, 2001)
* Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (July 21, 2001)
* Resident Evil (March 15, 2002)
* Pokémon Heroes (July 13, 2002)
* Pokémon: Jirachi Wishmaker (July 19, 2003)
* Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (July 25, 2003)
* House of the Dead (October 10, 2003)
* Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys (July 22, 2004)
* Resident Evil: Apocalypse (September 10, 2004)
* Alone in the Dark (January 28, 2005)
* Air (February 5, 2005)
* Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (July 16, 2005)
* Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (September 14, 2005)
* Doom (October 21, 2005)
* BloodRayne (January 6, 2006)
* Forbidden Siren (February 9, 2006)
* Silent Hill (April 21, 2006)
* Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea (July 15, 2006)
* Dead or Alive (September 15, 2006)
* Dōbutsu no Mori (Animal Crossing) (December 16, 2006)
* Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai (July 14, 2007)
* Clannad (September 15, 2007)
* BloodRayne II: Deliverance (September 18, 2007)
* Resident Evil: Extinction (September 21, 2007)
* Hitman (November 21, 2007)
* In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (January 11, 2008)
* OneChanbara (April 26, 2008)
* Postal (May 23, 2008)
* Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior (July 19, 2008)
* Far Cry (October 2, 2008)
* Max Payne (October 16, 2008)
* Resident Evil: Degeneration (December 17, 2008)
* Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (February 27, 2009)
* Pokémon Diamond & Pearl Platinum the Movie: To the Conquering of Space-Time (July 18, 2009)

The same list, with all horrible movies removed:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

...

Video game movies are always bad, period. While I will say it is theoretically possible for a good one to be produced at some point, Sam Raimi is not talented enough to pull it off. The man is hit and miss, which does not indicate enough skill to be the first to break the trend.

[rajpoot]

Come now come......Hitman was fine....OK maybe the guy didn't really have that 'Agent 47' aura but still.....
And you didn't like Lara Croft movies? You didn't like seeing Angelina Jolie running around wearing tight fitting clothes?

Edit:
What I want to really see though is a Halo movie...or maybe a good hollywood made movie on the Witcher.

[Meneldil]

If the Bioshock movie is a failure, I'll blow up something.

[seireikhaan]

Why on earth would anyone want to watch a WoW movie?

[TinCow]

And you didn't like Lara Croft movies? You didn't like seeing Angelina Jolie running around wearing tight fitting clothes?

Was dragged to the first one by a friend. It was easily the worst film I'd ever seen until Windtalkers.

[Jolt]

Was dragged to the first one by a friend. It was easily the worst film I'd ever seen until Windtalkers.

I beg to differ. Max Payne, on the other hand, a game with a deep, although moronic sometimes, plot which should be a continual action movie, was turned into something that easily wins the worst film ever award for me. It was probably the very first movie where I couldn't wait for the movie to end. Experiencing something like that wasn't my favourite thing.

About the movie per se, I am absolutely angry that Blizzard insisted in making a live-action movie. They made such a brilliant CGI Introduction to WoW: WOTLK that I can't believe they'll be wasting the skill of their CGI team. It's ridiculous.

[Beskar]

Why on earth would anyone want to watch a WoW movie?

See:
Lord of the Rings
Dungeons & Dragons
Other Fantasy Titles

[Tratorix]

See:
Lord of the Rings
Dungeons & Dragons
Other Fantasy Titles

That same list with all the horrible movies removed:

Lord of the Rings.

A movie about WoW? They can combine the failure of terrible fantasy movies and terrible videogame movies into one!

[Caius]

Sam Raimi must be retiring... in shame.

Its like doing a domino movie.

[Zenicetus]

Why on earth would anyone want to watch a WoW movie?

For the hot female Night Elves, what else?

[Meneldil]

Why on earth would anyone want to watch a WoW movie?

Same reason people would watch a LotR, a Star Wars, a Star Trek, [insert any well-known Sci-Fi franchise] movie.
Even though I stopped playing WoW, even though the movie will probably be beyond terribad, I'll probably watch it (in shame). Just because I like Warcraft setting. I'm not fan to the point of buying the various comic/regular books, but well, I saw Dungeon & Dragon back then, so heh.

[seireikhaan]

Same reason people would watch a LotR, a Star Wars, a Star Trek, [insert any well-known Sci-Fi franchise] movie.
Even though I stopped playing WoW, even though the movie will probably be beyond terribad, I'll probably watch it (in shame). Just because I like Warcraft setting. I'm not fan to the point of buying the various comic/regular books, but well, I saw Dungeon & Dragon back then, so heh.

1) Lord of the Rings =/= WoW.
2) Lord of the Rings was/were (a) highly acclaimed movie(s) from nearly eve one, including people who don't usually care for fantasy.
3) Lord of the Rings =/= WoW.
4) Books =/= video games
5) Lord of the Rings =/= WoW

[pevergreen]

CGI in Warcraft 3: Good
Anything to do with WoW: Bad.

Already hate it.

[econ21]

Video game movies are always bad, period.

About the movie per se, I am absolutely angry that Blizzard insisted in making a live-action movie. They made such a brilliant CGI Introduction to WoW: WOTLK that I can't believe they'll be wasting the skill of their CGI team. It's ridiculous.

I agree with both the above, if they are not self-contradictory. WoW does not have a very plausible or compelling backstory (I could just about see Bioshock being made into a good movie; System Shock 2 is lodged in my memory as if it was a movie). But the cut scenes and CGI in some video games is so impressive, I do wonder if it might ever be able to mushroom into something like a movie. Or at least, a Star Wars: the Clone Wars type series of shorts. Video directors can graduate to making proper movies - maybe game movie directors can too.

The Warhammer universe is nearly as weak as the WoW one, but having seen some of the Dawn of War game movies, I would pay to watch a movie of the same quality.

[Beskar]

It is not a WoW movie, it is a Warcraft movie.

It isn't based on the game at all. Who would want to watch 3 hours of running around Northshire as a movie, with Hogger as the big bad guy.

[pevergreen]

Dawn of War had the terrible trait of showing normal marines

If you play tabletop (the actual game) marines can't do as much as the backstory says. Each marine is a god, able to kill millions of lesser beings (orks, guardsmen, eldar etc)

Theres only like 60 000 of them though.

[FactionHeir]

I found the RE movies not too bad. The recent animated version was great too.

The TR ones weren't too bad, but the bullets missing Lara all the time was just plain silly. Simply looked too fake.

Oh, and I guess the movei makers ought to be glad they didn't get Boll involved. Haters and all.

[caravel]

LotR - the books not the movies - had a certain class and a subtelty in the approach and execution that Warcraft and D&D etc, as tacky PC games that were only ever meant to be PC games, lack.

They should do a battletech/mechwarrior movie instead. It doesn't have to have a plot, story or even "acting". The huge robots firing lasers and missiles at each other with jaw dropping CGI will see it through (worked for Transformers). Luminous green orcs and blonde elves speaking in American accents won't be as safe a bet...

[TinCow]

For those looking for the next LotR, you need look no further than this:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/

George RR Martin + HBO = Perfection

[pevergreen]

I'm waiting for:

Raymond E. Feist + anyone who doesnt butcher the books = GODLIKE.

[shlin28]

Being quite a Warcraft fan, I feel vaguely excited by the news that a decent director was chosen. Having read the books and played the games, I find that the backstory to the Warcraft Universe to be quite good, on par with Warhammer/LotR, and I am sure it is not beyond the realm of possibility that some good storyline can be thought up.

Anyway, the movie isn't going to be based on WoW - who would want to watch 40 people spending 3 hours trying to kill one boss? Instead it would be a war film, and I always like war films

[Meneldil]

1) Lord of the Rings =/= WoW.
2) Lord of the Rings was/were (a) highly acclaimed movie(s) from nearly eve one, including people who don't usually care for fantasy.
3) Lord of the Rings =/= WoW.
4) Books =/= video games
5) Lord of the Rings =/= WoW

Warcraft is not a video game, it's a franchise, in the same way LotR and Star Wars are now franchises. Dozens of books, comic books, manga and other assorted crap related to this franchise have been released lately (some before the WoW crazyness). The movie isn't a movie about WoW, but a movie about Warcraft.

Did you wonder why people bothered to watch the new - equally cheesy and overall quite bad - Star Wars trilogy? I seriously doubt you did. Why is Star Wars an accepted nerdish franchise while people go 'OMG no-life nerds' as soon as they hear the word 'Warcraft'? Give me a break.

[frogbeastegg]

For those looking for the next LotR, you need look no further than this:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/

George RR Martin + HBO = Perfection

This is literally the only TV series I've looked forward to since the first series of Rome.



Films are frontroom territory, so I shall shunt this over.

[Jolt]

Being quite a Warcraft fan, I feel vaguely excited by the news that a decent director was chosen. Having read the books and played the games, I find that the backstory to the Warcraft Universe to be quite good, on par with Warhammer/LotR, and I am sure it is not beyond the realm of possibility that some good storyline can be thought up.

Anyway, the movie isn't going to be based on WoW - who would want to watch 40 people spending 3 hours trying to kill one boss? Instead it would be a war film, and I always like war films

For a WoW movie you already have this. xD ***Disclaimer: It has heavy swearing. If you are offended by swearing than don't watch it!***

[tibilicus]

A WoW movie? What's the plot. A blood elf levels from 5 to 20 and dabbles in some PvP along the way?

If this actually turns out to be a good film I will be gob smacked.

[Prussian to the Iron]

my main opposition to a WoW movie is this:


it wouldn't have a plot.

correct me if im wrong, but isnt WoW an MMORPG not unlike Runescape in many respects? i thought that it was just "run around. find a quest. do quest. get reward. buy the last XXL WoW t-shirt."

i mean, that would be like trying to make a medieval 2 total war movie: you have no plot.

you know, i think i know what would be a box-office hit WoW movie:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

ready?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

are you sure?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

all right, you asked for it. prepare to be blown to pieces with this awesome idea:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

a comedy, with live-action guys dressed in WoW stuff, interacting like normal players and crap. so you'd have the over-immersed guys, the guys who act like they are coo because they are not super immersed, until they realize they are playing WoW, and the guys inbetween.

and of course, you would have to have leroy jenkins in there. no matter what. definitely.

[Tratorix]

For those looking for the next LotR, you need look no further than this:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/

George RR Martin + HBO = Perfection

Awesome, this is actually going into development! I like their choice of casting Sean Bean as Eddard Stark. He comes out ahead of anyone else they could have picked for the role.