Variety recently interviewed Stranger Thingsand Thunderbolts* star David Harbour. While the discussion mainly focused on some recent and upcoming projects, such as DTF St. Louis and the highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday, Harbour also mentioned a theoretical film that he would love to see brought to fruition.
On the subject of his favorite video games and potential adaptations of them, Harbour said, “I’ve always thought the Warcraft universe is underutilized. It’s as good as the Greeks, as good as The Odyssey… I want to see a Chris Nolan version of World of Warcraft.” Blizzard Entertainment’s Warcraft franchise was already brought to the big screen in 2016, but it deserves a reboot with the budget and epic scale of Nolan’s The Odyssey.
The Warcraft Universe Is Perfectly Suited For a Cinematic Adaptation
The Warcraft franchise began in 1994 with Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, a real-time strategy game. It received a couple of direct sequels, but the series became truly popular thanks to its 2004 spin-off, World of Warcraft. This massively multiplayer online installment became one of the most influential video games of all time, and it still receives updates to this day.
The Warcraft games have been primarily set in Azeroth, a classic fantasy setting inspired by The Lord of the Rings and Dunegons & Dragons. It has included staples of the genre like Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, and Trolls, as well as original creations like the amphibian Murlocs and otherworldly Dranei. As indicated by the name, the series has focused heavily on warfare.
CBR Exclusive · Quiz WHICH LORD OF THE RINGS CHARACTER ARE YOU? One Quiz to Find Them All From the rolling hills of the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom, every soul in Middle-earth carries a destiny. Twenty questions stand between you and the truth. Answer honestly. The shadow does not lie.
💍Frodo
🌿Samwise
⚔️Aragorn
🧙Gandalf
👀Gollum
01
You are asked to carry a terrible burden that no one else can bear. What do you do? The first step into darkness reveals everything.
02
Your closest companion is walking into grave danger. You: Loyalty is forged in the fires of the hardest moments.
03
You possess knowledge that could change the fate of many. You: What we do with knowledge shapes the world.
04
How do you make important decisions? A character’s choices reveal their deepest nature.
05
You are offered something you deeply desire — at a moral cost. You: Temptation is the test every soul must face alone.
06
How do you see yourself in the world? Self-knowledge is the beginning of all true power.
07
When darkness closes in, your instinct is to: Crisis strips away pretense and reveals the true self.
08
Your greatest personal flaw is: Even the wisest are not without shadow.
09
Others look to you for guidance in a desperate moment. You: How we lead in darkness defines us entirely.
10
What drives you more than anything else? The heart’s true desire is the root of all journeys.
11
You have reached your lowest point. The road ahead seems impossible. You: The darkest hour is the truest test of character.
12
You discover a great power that could be used for good — in the right hands. You: The wise know that the road to ruin is paved with good intentions.
13
What do you fear most? Our deepest fears map the shape of our souls.
14
Those who meet you for the first time would say: First impressions in Middle-earth carry great weight.
15
Where do you feel most yourself? A soul’s true home reveals its deepest nature.
16
What do you believe about hope? In the darkest ages, hope is the most radical act.
17
When your journey is over, what do you want to leave behind? The end of a tale gives meaning to all that came before.
18
You must give up something precious to save others. You: Sacrifice is the truest measure of what we value.
19
What does friendship mean to you? In Middle-earth, the bonds between souls are the greatest magic of all.
20
At the end of all things, when everything is on the line, you: This is the question that decides everything.
THE SHADOW KNOWS YOUR HEART YOUR MIDDLE-EARTH SOUL
Your scores are shown below. The character with the highest number is your match. Read their description to discover which soul of Middle-earth the darkness chose for you.
💍 Frodo
🌿 Samwise
⚔️ Aragorn
🧙 Gandalf
👀 Gollum
You carry more than anyone knows, and you carry it quietly. You did not choose your burden — but you accepted it when no one else would, and you bore it further than anyone thought possible. Your courage is not the loud kind. It is the kind that keeps moving when every step costs something. Gentle, introspective, and tested to the very edge of yourself.
Steadfast, warm, and quietly extraordinary. You are not driven by glory or destiny — you are driven by love, plain and simple. Your loyalty is absolute, your heart is vast, and your courage runs deeper than anyone who underestimates you will ever expect. You show up for the people you love without being asked, without keeping score, without ever wavering. The world needs more of you.
You have long walked in the shadows of a destiny you were not sure you deserved. Duty-bound, weathered by experience, and deeply principled — you lead not because you sought it, but because others needed you to. You carry old burdens with quiet dignity, and when the moment finally demands everything from you, you do not flinch. The crown was always yours. You simply had to be ready for it.
Ancient, perceptive, and capable of both great warmth and terrible wrath. You see the shape of things others cannot, and you guide more than you command — nudging, trusting, occasionally arriving precisely when you mean to. You have known grief and persisted through it. Your wisdom is hard-won and your faith in others, even when they falter, is your greatest strength and your most defining quality.
You are a soul divided — pulled between who you once were and what you have become. You have been shaped by loss, obsession, and a wound that never healed. What others see as your weakness was once your innocence. There is tragedy in you, and perhaps still a flicker of something salvageable. You are a reminder that the road to darkness is walked one small compromise at a time.
The games’ earliest and longest lasting conflict was that between the Alliance, made up mostly of humans, and the Horde, made up mostly of Orcs. Unlike The Lord of the Rings‘ wicked Orcs, those of the Warcraft franchise are not inherently evil. The games have featured heroes and villains on both sides, with players encouraged to choose a faction to support. That would lend a Warcraft adaptation a layer of gray morality like so many of Nolan’s films.
2016’s Warcraft film was better than its negative reviews would lead one to believe, but it was indeed held back by pacing issues, controversial changes to games’ lore, and other problems. The Warcraft franchise has plenty of untapped potential for adaptations, especially given the video game movie boom of recent years. A decade after the previous film, another attempt at bringing Warcraft to the big screen is due.
A Warcraft Adaptation Would Expand Christopher Nolan’s Horizons
Matt Damon wears greek armor in The Odyssey.Image via Universal Pictures
Nolan has never directed an adaptation of a video game, but he clearly has respect for the medium. At The Game Awards 2020, Nolan presented the event’s most prestigious prize, the Game of the Year Award, to The Last of Us 2. He also gave an interview with The Game Awards’ host and producer, Geoff Keighly.
In this interview, Nolan said, “When you build a video game adaptation to film from a video game, you don’t want it to just draft off the brand. You want it to be something great in its own right.” That statement strongly implies that Nolan would be willing to adapt a video game if the source material truly inspired him.
He would be wise to do so, as video game adaptations have proven extremely successful in the 2020s. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and A Minecraft Movie were all among the highest grossing films of the decade, while shows like The Last of Us and Arcane have won critical acclaim.
It is unlikely that Warcraft specifically is on Nolan’s radar. If he were to adapt a game, it would most likely be a mature, narrative-driven experience. Nolan has spoken the praises of Mass Effect and Halo in the past, so a science fiction game along those lines would be the most likely candidate for a Nolan adaptation. Still, a Nolan-directed Warcraft film is not entirely outside the realm of possibility.
Nolan also has limited experience with fantasy. In fact, The Odyssey was his first foray into the genre. While rooted in history, his version of Odysseus’ quest included mythical elements like gods and monsters. A high fantasy film could very well be Nolan’s next project, especially since he likes to experiment with different genres.
Nolan has directed sci-fi, superhero, and historical biography films, and he recently expressed an interest in horror, so fantasy is likely on his mind as well. Fans want to see Nolan tackle new genres, including high fantasy. If Harbour’s dream adaptation ever becomes reality, it would be a unique and exciting addition to Nolan’s eclectic filmography.
Released
November 23, 2004
ESRB
T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence (online interactions not rated)
