World of Warcraft movie: Duncan Jones tweets first image

It has been nine years in development and lost at least one high-profile director along the way. But the first glimpse of swords and sorcery fantasy Warcraft, based on the hugely popular video game World of Warcraft has now hit the web, after director Duncan Jones posted a shot of CGI orc chieftain Orgrim Doomhammer.

“Can’t tell you what a relief it is to FINALLY have at least something released from Warcraft for you all to see!” wrote Jones, who has previously directed acclaimed science-fiction movies Moon and Source Code. The British film-maker was hired to co-write and direct Warcraft in 2013, following the departure of Spider-Man’s Sam Raimi, who later said that his vision for the movie differed from the one proposed by video game maker Blizzard.

The image of Doomhammer is featured in a new issue of Wired magazine dedicated to the work of effects house Industrial Light and Magic, which also created the Hulk for The Avengers: Age of Ultron. The character is partly based on the features of Robert Kazinsky, the English former EastEnders cast member who will be portraying the orc leader.

Jones told the magazine: “We were looking for someone who would be able to perform the gruffness, the humour, and the toughness of this character … We’ve gone beyond the point where these are just creatures in movies. We now have the technology and the ability to make new characters entirely.”

Jones’ version of Warcraft was initially due for release in 2015, but has been twice-delayed and is now set to hit cinemas in June 2016. The film, which looks likely to centre on the video game’s ongoing battle between human and orcish forces in the fantasy world of Azeroth, also stars Ben Foster, Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Toby Kebbell and Dominic Cooper.