Warcraft (2016)
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Duncan Jones's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- The original script for Warcraft was written over a decade before production finally began in 2016.
- Before Travis Fimmel was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
Warcraft is a 2016 American fantasy action film directed by Duncan Jones, based on Blizzard Entertainment's massively popular video game franchise. The film depicts the first contact between humans and orcs when the orcish Horde, fleeing their dying world through a dark magic portal, invades the human realm of Azeroth. The story is told from both sides โ human knight Anduin Lothar, played by Travis Fimmel, and orc chieftain Durotan, voiced by Toby Kebbell through performance capture, both seek peace but are driven toward war by forces beyond their control.
Duncan Jones's approach was notable for giving the orcs equal narrative weight and emotional complexity, creating a war film where both sides had legitimate grievances and heroic figures. The film was a commercial disappointment in the United States, earning only $47 million domestically, but became a massive international hit โ particularly in China, where it earned $225 million and became the fastest film to reach $200 million in Chinese box office history. Warcraft's total worldwide gross of $439 million on a $160 million budget illustrated the growing importance of the Chinese market for Hollywood blockbusters.
