Summary

• Warcraft came out in 2016, but there is still no official confirmation about whether or not there will ever be a sequel.
• While there are plenty of stories that a Warcraft sequel could adapt, comments from the original film's director make such a film seem unlikely.
• Warcraft may do better in the form of a television reboot, which could flesh out the video game world in greater depth.

The 2016 Warcraft movie, based on the hugely popular and ongoing Blizzard franchise, sought to break the heavy stigma around video game adaptions. While the movie didn't manage to offer everything fans had hoped for, it still performed moderately well and has left many wondering if the long-rumored sequel is ever going to happen.

Warcraft opens with an orc shaman named Gul'dan heading into the human world with the use of dark magic. After the orcs put together an army called the Horde, King Llane goes to war with his human army to protect his land, despite leaders of each side hoping for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. But, unfortunately, the evil Gul'dan slays the noblest of the orc leaders as the portal back to their home world is closed off. Finally, a human finds a basket containing a baby orc, Thrall, a key character in Warcraft lore.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on December 18, 2023: Seven years after the original film's release, fans are still waiting for a sequel to Warcraft. The 2016 film may not have been everything that audiences had hoped for, but it certainly carried enough potential to craft a compelling franchise. While there have been conflicting reports about whether or not there will ever be a continuation, the recent rise in popularity of video game adaptations like The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Last of Us could be a sign that now is the perfect time to begin work on Warcraft 2.

Warcraft's Cliffhanger Ending Could Hint at a Warcraft 2

• Warcraft had a production of $160,000,000, according to The Numbers.
• Warcraft earned $438,899,824 at the global box office, according to The Numbers.
• Warcraft is currently available to rent on Apple TV, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video.

With the unresolved nature of the film's narrative, fans have been expecting news of a Warcraft sequel for a while but have been met with silence. While the movie didn't perform great at the box office, it received a respectable rating of 76 percent from fans on the review site Rotten Tomatoes, although it has a vastly lower 28 percent from critics. Surprisingly, Warcraft also gained a huge following in China, beating out the box-office revenue of Star Wars: The Force Awakens within a few days.

Most of the criticisms were the same as what many cinematic video game adaptations face. With decades of lore across games and books, Warcraft had the task of condensing much of it into a two-hour movie, meaning a lot of the fan-favorite events and characters had to be left out. On the flip side, the biggest surprise was the CGI effects. While video game adaptations usually have lower budgets, Warcraft had some of the best-looking computer-generated characters of any movie at the time.

Warcraft's Director Makes a Sequel Sound Unlikely

While it seemed like a Warcraft sequel was likely, tweets and interviews from director Duncan Jones sound like it may never happen. In June 2020, Jones tweeted that he had a three-film outline for Warcraft, going into detail about the plot of each movie. However, with the silence from Blizzard and the numerous employee harassment lawsuits the company is facing, many fans have lost hope for a sequel.

Still, reports of the sequel's existence haven't faded away completely. Rumors still spread of the movie being in development as a reboot, and Duncan Jones has been quiet on the matter for quite some time. With the latest expansion for the World of Warcraft game now out, the renewed demand for media tied into the lore could finally see the announcement for Warcraft 2 that fans have been waiting for.

What Would a Warcraft Sequel Be About?

• There are six games in the mainline Warcraft series.
• Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is considered one of the best games in the series.
• Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness has a 95% score from GameRankings.

While it remains largely unclear whether or not Warcraft will ever get a sequel, there are several storylines that another movie could adapt. The most likely option, however, would certainly be the storyline of the second game, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness. In the 1995 game, the survivors of Azeroth flee to the human civilization while the orcs plot a siege of Lordaeron.

Warcraft 2 would also have the opportunity to do some much-needed worldbuilding, fleshing out the civilizations of humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, and other sci-fi creatures. Whether or not it actually adapts the storyline of Tides of Darkness remains to be seen, but a follow-up must at least explore the emerging alliance between the elves, dwarves, and humans against the orcs, as was teased at the end of the first film.

Warcraft May Be Getting a Reboot Instead

While some fans may have their hearts set on a sequel, Warcraft may be heading for a reboot instead. The 2016 film wasn't a total box office flop, but it also was far from achieving the profitability that studios would have wanted from the foundation-laying entry in a new franchise. The less-than-stellar box office earnings, paired with mostly negative reviews from critics, mean that it might be safer to reboot the movie franchise entirely.

A reboot wouldn't even necessarily have to be in the form of a movie. While video game adaptations have had some access in the realm of cinema before, projects like The Last of Us prove that television series serve the medium far better. The sprawling stories of a video game are easily transferrable to television's long-form storytelling. With a season of six to eight episodes, a Warcraft television reboot would have a far easier time with worldbuilding, character development, and fleshing out the lore of the video games. Given the current interest in video game adaptations, now would be the perfect time for Warcraft to finally get a second chance.

The Warcraft franchise is currently at a crossroads, with its future remaining uncertain for the time being. While a sequel to 2016's Warcraft may never happen, fans shouldn't lose hope of seeing the perfect adaptation of their video game someday soon.