'Warcraft' is an upcoming epic fantasy film directed by Duncan Jones. His new film features empowered female characters to combat sexism in the gaming and film industry. He also created noble and humanized Orcs instead of making his film the usual good versus evil story.
Director Duncan Jones spoke with Time.com about combating sexism in the male-dominated gaming and film industry. When asked about how he can address misogynistic problems with his upcoming film, he said, "You have to be as proactive as you can. Warcraft has always had a far higher percentage of women players than a lot of other games. It has always been a very welcoming environment for women... You don't have to be in sl*tty costumes. You can dress like the character that you see in your head."
Jones added that maintaining the balance between characters was a key element in the making of the film. He said that a number of key characters in the film are women and they are not mere love interests since they stand up and fight as well.
For instance, the epic fantasy film features Paula Patton as Garona Halforcen. Her character is an orc-draenei hybrid caught between the Alliance and the Horde. She is portrayed as a strong-willed and extremely skilled assassin as well as spy mistress.
During another interview with Collider, the English director revealed that he intended to humanize monsters - giving them emotion and telling their story as well. This comes in the case of the green-skinned inhabitants of Azeroth - the Orcs.
When asked what side he usually played on as a gamer, he admitted that he started out as a human warrior but eventually moved to become part of the orcs. He said, "Both side, both sides. But that's what the-I mean as you've probably heard, that's what the film is trying to do is balance it, tell the story from both sides."
Instead of making 'Warcraft' a battle of good versus evil, Jones decided he wanted to put heroes on the warring sides and make the audience sensitive to their cause. According to The Guardian, the filmmaker called both main protagonists from the Alliance and the Horde as "noble and empathetic". Travis Fimmel plays the charismatic knight Sir Anduin Lothar for the Alliance while Toby Kebbell plays the dignified Orc chieftain Durotan for the Horde.
'Warcraft' is an upcoming live-action adaptation of popular game of the same name by Blizzard Entertainment. It is slated for release on June 10, 2016. It is directed by Duncan Jones and stars Fimmel, Kebbell, Patton, Daniel Wu, Ben Foster, Dominic Cooper, Clancy Brown and Robert Kazinsky among others.
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