Project Lore

Blizzard announced today that Sam Raimi, perhaps best known for directing the Spiderman movies, has joined on to direct "Warcraft," the live-action World of Warcraft movie adaptation. This is the biggest news about the movie in the last two years. I, for one, am glad to hear that Uwe Boll won't be on board to ruin the movie. This doesn't mean the movie will be great (See Spiderman 3), it's just a solid step in the right direction. Hopefully we get some more information about the movie at Comic-Con or BlizzCon! Check out the full press release here:

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – July 22, 2009 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and Legendary Pictures announced today that Sam Raimi has signed on to direct the eagerly-anticipated major motion picture based on Blizzard Entertainment®’s award-winning Warcraft® universe. Raimi has, in the course of his career, clearly demonstrated a genius for developing and adapting existing fictional universes for mainstream audiences while staying true to the spirit of the original content. Raimi directed the Spider-Man trilogy, which has broken box-office records around the world and garnered five Academy Award® nominations. Known for his imaginative filmmaking style, richly drawn characters and offbeat humor, Raimi wrote and directed the cult classic, The Evil Dead and produced 30 Days Of Night. He most recently wrote and directed the supernatural thriller, Drag Me To Hell. "At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story," said Raimi. "I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen." Charles Roven’s producing talents were recently seen with last summer’s blockbuster The Dark Knight, which grossed in excess of $1 billion, was nominated for eight Academy Awards® and won two. His body of work also includes the widely acclaimed Batman Begins and the sci-fi classic 12 Monkeys. Roven, with Atlas producing partner Alex Gartner, will be producing with Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull, Legendary’s Chief Creative Officer Jon Jashni, Raimi and Raimi’s producing partner Joshua Donen. Raimi’s partner, Robert Tapert, will be an Executive Producer and Blizzard Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of Creative Development, Chris Metzen, a Co-Producer. "Partnering with Sam Raimi exemplifies Legendary's mandate of marrying the highest quality intellectual property to world-class filmmakers" said Legendary’s Tull. "Sam's passion for 'Warcraft' is undeniable and we know that he will create an incredible film worthy of Blizzard's phenomenal franchise. We look forward to collaborating with our partners at Warner Bros. and continuing our successful relationship with Chuck in bringing this rich new world to the screen." "Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures have a shared vision for this film and we searched at length to find the very best director to bring that vision to life," said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. "From our first conversation with Sam, we could tell he was the perfect choice. Sam knows how to simultaneously satisfy the enthusiasts and the mainstream audience that might be experiencing that content for the first time. We're looking forward to working with him to achieve that here." "Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft has become a second home for millions of players and Sam’s experience and talent make him the perfect director for this remarkable and action-packed world," said Atlas’ Roven. "Alex and I are proud to be working with Sam and re-teaming with our friends at Legendary and Warner Bros." The film will fall under Legendary Pictures’ co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros. "Warcraft is emblematic of the kind of branded, event films for which our studio is best known. We have enjoyed great success with our partners at Legendary, and this is an incredible opportunity for us to work with Sam on a project that is so eagerly anticipated by so many," said Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group. Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft universe is a rich fantasy setting that revolves around the epic conflict between the opposing forces of the Horde and the Alliance. Since its debut in 1994, Warcraft has developed a loyal following across the globe, with several bestselling, award-winning PC games and a range of popular licensed products including novels, action figures, apparel, comic books, board games, and more. World of Warcraft®, Blizzard Entertainment’s subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the Warcraft universe, is the most popular game of its kind in the world. Its most recent expansion, Wrath of the Lich King™, is the fastest-selling PC game of all time, with more than 2.8 million copies sold in its first 24 hours of availability and more than 4 million in its first month. Further details about the upcoming Warcraft movie, including cast and targeted release date, will be revealed as development progresses.

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Earlier this month Hollywood Reporter put out the news that Heroes actor Masi Oka is working on a family movie called "The Defenders," inspired by his love of MMORPGs, and WoW in particular. (Yatta!) DreamWorks has picked up the film, and apparently the story will focus on a group of mostly teens who play an MMO together and end up working together in a RL adventure of their own. Sounds like a pretty neat idea, and it got me thinking. (Looking back in my blog, I do that a  lot). Anyhow, the environment of WoW allows for a great deal of anonymity for those who choose it. Of course, some of us, such as the crew on Project Lore, put their character names out there, and so we're known for our toons. But for the rest of us, WoW can be an escape of sorts from all our RL worries. And beyond Masi Oka, there are plenty of celebrities who have told the world that they, too, have gotten sucked into the World of Warcracft. Of course, there are the celebs we know from WoW commercials: Mr. T, Verne Troyer, Ozzy Osbourne, William Shatner, Steve Van Zandt. I think I got everyone. And there are many others who have admitted to their fandom that the wider community doesn't necessarily understand (or approve of). Off the top of my head, Vin Diesel comes to mind as a definite who has admitted to his geekdom. Other fairly well-known gamer celebs are Robin Williams, Matt Stone and Trey Parker (the creators of South Park who paid homage to the game in episode 147, Make Love Not Warcraft), Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov, and of course Felicia Day of The Guild. And then there are the lesser-known players of the game such as Dave Chapelle, Cameron Diaz, Kanye West, Ben Affleck and Maculay Culkin. Now, a lot of you may not give a damn who you're playing with. And I suppose it doesn't really make a difference in the grand scheme of things. But it's kind of neat to think about. That elusive rogue in your guild could be Britney Spears, for all you know. Or, that shaman that keeps sending you whispers could be your mom. Or ex-girlfriend. Or Barack Obama. You would never know! So, next time you log on, take a good, long moment to think it through. Could you be playing with someone you know (or at least know of)  in RL? It's a possibility. If I had to choose who to play with out of those I listed here, I think I'd go with Masi. He seems like a pretty cool guy. So what do you think are the odds that you've ever teamed up with a celebrity? Would you have acted any differently had you known?

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Last week you guys might remember that I wrote a bit about my love of the Dragonblight zone and all of its lore-tastic quest lines. And I should have known I can't sneak anything past you guys! As several of you pointed out, I excluded from my post the major Wrath Gate cut scene and epic event that follows. Well, that's partially because I hadn't finished that quest line yet. But it was also because the quest line was so grand that I thought I'd dedicate an entire separate post to it. **Possible spoilers for anyone who hasn't played through WotLK content!!** You have to work to get to the awesomeness. As a Hordie, I worked through four quest lines to prove my worth: Into the Fold, Victory Nears, Strength of Icemist, and The Forsaken Blight and You: How Not to Die. From there Overlord Agmar offers The Kor'Kron Vanguard:

The time has come, the moment is now - our elite soldiers at the Wrathgate need you. The son of Saurfang awaits your arrival at the Kor'kron Vanguard. Go now, northeast to the Wrathgate.

Another quest line later, some Scourge defeated, and the fun begins. Start in-game cinematic. I'll admit it. the first time I saw this was before I did any of the questing. But the second time, after all that work, left much more of an impact on me. We (who aren't DKs) get our first in-game glimpse at the Lich King, and it's an epic one at that. Both Bolvar and Saurfang Jr., along with a ton of their accompanying forces, get fandoozled by the Scourge (who are parading as the Forsaken). I knew those creepy apothecaries were up to something sinister! After the scene ends, everything has changed. In place of Bolvar and Saurfang Jr. stand Alexstrasza and Korialstrasz, who you met in previous questlines in their humanoid forms atop Wyrmrest Temple. Those who still are alive are running around screaming, mourning the dead. And you're left to inform either Saurfang or King Varian Wrynn of the casualties, and deal with the remaining aftermath. I've heard that some thought the cutscene was a rip off Lord of the Rings - and I can definitely see the resemblance. But regardless of where Blizzard drew its inspiration, I think this was a huge step in the right direction. The movie gets both Alliance and Horde energized for the big event to come, which is another big WIN for Blizzard - The Battle for the Undercity. Whether you're battling Varimathras alongside Thrall and Lady Sylvanas for the Horde or smacking up Grand Apothecary Putress with King Varian Wrynn and Lady Jaina Proudmoore for the, in this case, ill-informed Alliance, the battle for the ruins of Lordaeron is one of the most entertaining events I can recall for many reasons. Not the least of which is getting constant buffs that transform your character into a badass as you battle hell-minions who obviously are confused about their place in Azeroth. But there's also a ton of great lore in there for those of us who love the storytelling aspect of WoW, and we see some insight into the current relationship of Horde-Alliance. The phasing of areas we usually see much differently was pretty damn neat, too. I had a difficult time tearing myself away from the computer after all that excitement. Blizzard's movie site explains a bit about their thoughts behind the cinematic that triggers it all:

One of the design goals for Wrath of the Lich King was to elevate storytelling in World of Warcraft to new heights. Northrend is brought to life by engaging quests, memorable characters, beautiful environments, and the introduction of a brand-new feature: in-game cinematics. The first of these cinematics, The Wrath Gate, is now available for viewing and download on the Wrath of the Lich King website.

Now since this is the "first" of the "cinematics" (plural!) I really hope that means more of this is to come in the future. I'm not sure whether they're considering the Ulduar cinematic to be another of these, since it's really more of trailer than anything resulting from quests. But at least it adds on to the storyline, too. And Blizzard has put out plenty of trailers in the past, but the in-game Wrathgate morsel really seems like more of a reward and motivation to me. It may be unrealistic knowing that cinematics have got to be pretty expensive to make. But I can't help it - I just want more! Don't you!?

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BigRedKitty bring us along as they venture into the Arachnid Quarter of 25-man Naxxramas. Watch as BRK squash this oversized bug with the help of a couple dozen other people. Addons mentioned in this video include: Omen Threat Meter Mik's Scrolling Battle Text Power Auras - check out some more tips from BRK about Power Auras here. Deadly Boss Mods Remember to vote for Project Lore on the streamys at http://vote.streamys.org/

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