Warcraft director had envisioned making a trilogy of films

Warcraft director Duncan Jones has said he previously envisioned making a trilogy of films based on Blizzard’s fantasy universe, although he now thinks it’s unlikely he’ll get to make a follow-up to the 2016 movie.

Jones outlined his plan for potential sequels in an interview with Collider.

“For me the story was about Gul’dan and taking the false walls. The symbol or the tribe that he was the chief of, taking them away from the world that was dying on setting them up with a, new home on this, planet of Azeroth,” he said.

“And, really that was going to happen through his baby son who’s, for those who are lore junkies, was getting to grow up to be this character called Thrall.

“So really it was about, that story and everything else was how the orcs left their home world and clear that new home for themselves in Azeroth that was the three film arc I would’ve wanted to follow up.”

While Warcraft was considered a critical and commercial flop in the US, its strong performance in China helped it bring in over $430 million worldwide, making it the top-grossing film based on a game until Pokémon Detective Pikachu broke the record just this week.

“It really would have been pretty special,” Jones said of continuing the Warcraft journey. “It’s unfortunate now, you gotta try and go with your harp on these things. I made the film as best I could on the first film hoping that it would connect with an audience.

“I genuinely think that in retrospect and as time has moved on, people are starting to appreciate the film than maybe the critics did when it first came out but unfortunately I don’t think we’re going to get to make anymore.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Jones discusses his debut feature film Moon, and contrasts the “craziness” of studio filmmaking on a big-budget project like Warcraft, in which many parties have vested interests, with the relative freedom to be experimental he was given by Netflix making his next film Mute.

Jones is currently working on a Rogue Trooper film based on the character in the 2000 AD comics published by British game developer Rebellion, which is perhaps best known for its Sniper series. He describes the sci-fil film as a mixture of “action and humor and fun”.

World of Warcraft celebrates its 15th anniversary this year.