Duncan Jones Responds To Reports Of Warcraft Being Labeled A Problem Movie

Earlier today, The Hollywood Reporter put out a tantalizing article that detailed the rift between Universal and Legendary. In it, they revealed that production on Pacific Rim 2 has been indefinitely halted and that Universal has labeled Warcraft as a "problem movie."

Now Warcraft director Duncan Jones (Source Code, Moon) has responded:

@CLAWX I wouldn't worry about that. Universal moved us to the same date as Jurassic World, so we must have done something right!

— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) September 16, 2015

I don't believe the "problem movie" label has any indication on how good or bad Duncan Jones' Warcraft film is at the moment. It probably just comes down to risk assessment. One, film adaptations of video games do not have a good track record, critically and more importantly, financially. Two, it's an expensive film! No matter how much Jones would like to prop up the use of practical effects, the film required quite a bit of computer-generated imagery. Thus, the film could feel more like a video game cinematic than an actual film. Three, the film was created in the hopes of becoming a trilogy, so the ending may leave audiences feeling unsatisfied.

Hopefully, when the first trailer is released in November, as Jones promised in July, we'll have a better clue as to how good or bad it might be.

Legendary's Warcraft is a 3D epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based upon Blizzard Entertainment's globally-renowned universe. Directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and written by Charles Leavitt and Duncan Jones, the film is a Legendary Pictures, Blizzard Entertainment and Atlas Entertainment production.

Warcraft will hit theaters on June 10, 2016.