Azeroth teeters on the brink of war in the stirring first TV spot for Duncan Jones’ Warcraft: The Beginning, featuring new footage of the Alliance and the Horde duking it out all across Westfall and Stormwind.
But while you’d be forgiven for ogling at the lavish CG effects and sweeping grandeur of Jones’ live-action adaptation, there’s also a brief overview of the core plot driving Warcraft, which is aiming to set in motion a newfound trilogy at Legendary.
Fleeing from their war-torn home, Robert Kazinsky’s Orgrim Doomhammer leads his pack of Orcs into the human world seeking peace, but their mere presence spawns an all-out battle between the two aforementioned factions. Perhaps what has us really excited for Jones’ take on the legendary fantasy IP is the motion capture performance illustrated in today’s clip. Fuelled by the creative wizards of Industrial Light & Magic, there’s a tangible emotion on display between Kazinsky’s Orgrim and his hulking co-stars, which ought to be enough to separate Warcraft: The Beginning from its CG-heavy peers.
Rounding out the cast are Travis Fimmel as Anduin Lothar and Toby Kebbel as Durotan, Dominic Cooper as King Llane Wrynn, Travis Fimmel as Anduin Lothar, 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.
Bumped from its original March due date – likely to avoid Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice – Duncan Jones’ Warcraft: The Beginning will lay siege to an opportune summer release window when the director’s fantasy epic opens on June 10.
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.
