You may recall that Spider-Man and Evil Dead director Sam Raimi was once attached to turn
Warcraft into a feature film.
While doing press for his new release Oz the Great and Powerful, Raimi recalled why the
project didn't happen.
In a chat with Vulture, Raimi said quote “First, they [Legendary Pictures] asked me if I wanted
to make it, and I said, 'Yes, I love World of Warcraft, and I think it would make a great
picture.'
So I read a screenplay they had that was written by the guys at [Warcraft developer] Blizzard,
and it didn't quite work for me.”
Raimi wanted to make an original movie written by his friend Robert Rodat -- writer of Saving
Private Ryan.
They pitched it to Legendary and it was accepted, so then it was time to pitch to Blizzard.
Blizzard had reservations but apparently gave the pair some sort of a modest thumbs up.
So Rodat went ahead and wrote the script, but when it was done he and Raimi realized
that Blizzard had veto power -- and that they had never really officially accepted the offer.
Raimi continues, quote “Those reservations were their way of saying, 'We don't approve
this story, and we want to go a different way,' so after we had spent nine months working
on this thing, we basically had to start over.
And Robert did start over, but it was taking too long for the people at Blizzard, and their
patience ran out.
Honestly, I think it was mismanagement on their behalf, not to explain to us that the
first story was vetoed long ago.
Why did they let us keep working on it?
Were they afraid to tell me?”
The Warcraft movie is now in the hands of director Duncan Jones, he of Moon fame.
Raimi says, “I loved his movie Moon, and I think he's a strikingly talented director.
I bet that if anyone can do a great job with it, it's him."
As soon as we know more about the Warcraft movie, we’ll let you know right here at
IGN.