Note: this post may contain spoilers for Warcraft. Also note: if you’re the type of person who flips out about Warcraft spoilers, man, I don’t know what to tell you.
Warcraft was the most successful film adaptation of a video game of all time, and yet the $160 million-budgeted movie only earned $47 million in the US. It was one of a number of movies in 2016 that flopped in the US but were popular overseas. Warcraft, in particular, made nearly 90 percent of its money internationally, with $220 million coming from China alone, making it 2016’s third highest-grossing film in that country. The huge box office receipts in China led to rumors of a sequel geared towards China and possibly only opening in theaters in China and a few other countries with a large turnout for the first movie (Russia, France, and Germany).
The sequel rumors never seemed to go anywhere, although director Duncan Jones keeps saying he’d love to make it. (FOR THE HORDE!) He reiterated that desire during a screening of the movie in London on Monday night, and he elaborated on what he’d like the sequel — part two of a trilogy — to be about:
This first film is about establishing the world, and showing Durotan helping his son escape a dying planet. So to me the idea over the course of three films would be for Thrall to fulfill that vision of Durotan to create a new homeland for the Orcs. So in [the sequel] it would be the adolescent years of that baby, and anyone who does know their Warcraft stories would know it’s very much a Spartacus story that goes on with that character. I would basically follow that through.
If you didn’t know, Warcraft is — much like the Furious franchise — all about family.
My fascination with trying to do Warcraft in three films and the idea of family, is I love the idea of Durotan has sacrificed himself so his son and the people he cares about can survive — I want to see that sacrifice pay off. That’s the trilogy. That’s the heart of the story. The rest of it is mumbo jumbo names and sh*t. [laughs]
Not only does he have a plot outline ready, he also just stumbled upon a great subtitle for most superhero movies: mumbo jumbo names and sh*t. Despite his desire to finish his trilogy about family, Jones didn’t seem optimistic about getting the green light, saying, “There’s no reason for me to believe there’s any likelihood of it happening other than sheer pig headiness.” Hey now, those aren’t pigs. They’re called orcs. Don’t be orcist.
(Via Flickering Myth)