In its time, the Kingdom of Azeroth has played host to a great many battles, but it’s with the opening of the Dark Portal that any fragile sense of harmony is irrevocably shattered. That’s in and around the time when Duncan Jones’ live-action Warcraft: The Beginning picks up, signalling a mighty clash between the Alliance and the Orcish Horde.
Plunging the peaceful realm of Azeroth into chaos, today’s all-new trailer for Legendary’s tentpole outlines that fierce and primitive rivalry, as the two races scrap over the one home. There’s plenty of new footage to pour over, too, and considering that we’re now within two months of release, those awe-inspiring special effects are beginning to look about as crisp as they ever will.
But will the story be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the admittedly impressive visuals? That is, of course, the biggest obstacle Warcraft: The Beginning will have to overcome. In pitting the Alliance and the Horde against one another, Legendary has streamlined much of the franchise’s sprawling lore into a relatively understandable narrative – with a few rogue fighters tossed in for good measure – but it is ultimately the core relationships and chemistry therein that will act as the movie’s defining factors.
Headlining Jones’ CG-laden blockbuster are Travis Fimmel as Anduin Lothar and Toby Kebbel as Durotan, Dominic Cooper as King Llane Wrynn, Ben Foster as Medivh, Ben Schnetzer as Khadgar, Ruth Negga as Lady Taria, Clancy Brown as Blackhand, Daniel Wu as Gul’Dan and Paula Patton’s Garona.
Hoping to jump-start a bona fide franchise at Legendary – just not before Duncan Jones can squeeze in his passion project Mute – Warcraft: The Beginning will roar into theaters on June 10 in North America.
The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: Orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people and their home. So begins a spectacular saga of power and sacrifice in which war has many faces, and everyone fights for something.