In 2016, "The Beginning" brought Warcraft to movie theaters. Even though several years have gone by, a Warcraft 2 movie hasn't happened yet. But Blizzard has now confirmed that it's still a possibility.
When you think about video game series with lots of stories to tell, Warcraft definitely comes to mind. This might be because I've played Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft, where the story seems like it could make at least ten movies.
Honestly, no one really wants a movie about the latest stuff in WoW since it’s not as good as the older stories (like the Shadowlands expansion, which was really disappointing). But it would be great to see a movie about Arthas turning bad, Illidan becoming the first Demon Hunter, or Prince Kael'Thas doing whatever it takes to save his people.
| Warcraft: Quick Facts | |||
| First release: | Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (1994) | ||
| Platform: | PC, Mac | ||
| Developer: | Blizzard | ||
| Particularities: | World of Warcraft is the most successful MMORPG that was ever released, though you have to pay for it every month |
The 2016 film Warcraft: The Beginning was commercially successful in China, but struggled to break even globally and faced significant criticism. Despite this setback, franchise manager John Hight remains intrigued by the idea of another cinematic adaptation.
A New Warcraft Movie Is Not Off The Table According Blizzard
To understand why a Warcraft 2 movie has never happened, you only have to take a look at the box office results. While “The Beginning” performed quite well in China, it unfortunately pretty much flopped in the US – and a movie that doesn't make enough money is naturally unlikely to get a sequel. Director Duncan Jones always hoped to get permission to make another Warcraft movie, but in the end it never happened.
It seems that Blizzard and Universal Pictures have been thinking about making another Warcraft movie for years, but then came the pandemic and... well... you know the rest.
However, rumors in early 2022 suggested that Blizzard and Universal wanted to include a soft reboot of the story. According to these rumors, they intended to focus on new characters and undo some decisions from the first movie. Now Warcrafts franchise manager, John Hight, has spoken about it at GDC with IGN.
There, he said that another attempt for a Warcraft movie could be worthwhile but it shouldn't be Blizzard alone doing it. He explains that their focus has been, and should always be, games. Therefore, they'd need a partner that is qualified enough for this new discipline.
"I want to have Warcraft out there a little more than it is now"
He acknowledges that the Warcraft universe is full of great and compelling stories and characters that have big screen potential, and doesn't deny that there could be a new Warcraft movie coming up.
World of Warcraft is still an extremely popular game, TV series like The Last of Us or Arcane have proven that the curse of bad video game adaptions has its exceptions and in the long run the franchise just offers too much financial potential to ignore it.
We're pretty convinced: It's not about if a new Warcraft movie is coming, but rather about when it is coming and what it will be about. Taking all the information and rumors into account, my educated guess would be that a new Warcraft movie will be announced until 2025, with a release to follow in 2026.
What Could We Expect?
According to Blizzard executive creative director Chris Metzen, the original Warcraft movie pretty much kick-started the change from World of Warcraft into a Warcraft-Universe that spans multiple IPs, like Warcraft Rumble. Whenever an idea for a new addition to the franchise comes up, the first question is how it will shape the Warcraft universe and whether it fits into Metzen's vision.
For another Warcraft movie it would make sense to adapt a story about Thrall. He's a fan favorite, cool as hell and flashy to boot – and since his birth was featured at the end of The Beginning, a sequel could focus on him as a main character.