Even though the Warcraft movie isn't hitting until next year on June 10, we are still buzzing with excitement at seeing Azeroth on the big screen for the first time. The movie has been in development since 2006, so there's years of material to pore over in order to paint a picture of what to expect. We took some time away from grinding rep and gathering herbs to round up all the coolest, most insightful things we know about the movie.

The Plot: Feels on Both Sides

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Influences on the Movie

The Score

The Visual Effects

We know little of the actual plot details, but we do know that the story features the origin story of how the humans and orcs first came into conflict. It’s director Duncan Jones’ vision to show both sides of the conflict equally so that audiences will feel torn about which to root for. This makes sense, as anyone who has played the games knows that no matter if you are a member of the Alliance or the Horde, you always feel you are the hero of your story.The original director, Sam Raimi, reportedly wanted a story that painted the Horde orcs in a bad light, but Blizzard was against that, which led to Raimi leaving the project. Jones was more in tune with Blizzard’s vision, and now we will see if he can make viewers feel just as much empathy for the hulking and fanged Durotan as the handsome and rugged Lothar.Jones has cited many influences on his vision for the Warcraft movie.Even though he’s aiming for a PG-13 rating, he said it will have the same level of grit as Gladiator. Put the chariot battle in the sky on the backs of flying mounts and yes, we’d be entertained. If you’re worried that a PG-13 rating isn’t enough to do the “war” part of Warcraft justice, then know that Jones plans on following in the footsteps of The Dark Knight, which was in no way a light movie devoid of death and destruction, but rather found different ways to showcase the horrors of violence.Jones has said the complexity of the film will be a mix between Game of Thrones and Avatar. That’s actually an interesting mix for Jones to make, seeing how Game of Thrones is vastly complicated -- some would say too much so -- whereas Avatar was as simple as you can get. This infers that Warcraft will have a bit of mystery and intrigue but will also be easily digestible by general audiences.And what’s a movie these days without some girl power? Jones and Blizzard's Chris Metzen have gone on the record saying that there will be some great female characters in the movie that are important to the story. With recent blockbusters like Mad Max: Fury Road, Hunger Games, and Avengers: Age of Ultron all featuring some serious kick-ass ladies, it will bode well for Warcraft to keep forging that path.Composer Ramin Djawadi has been tapped to give musical life to the Warcraft movie. You’ve doubtless heard some of his work, as he’s done music for all manner of movies (Iron Man, Pacific Rim), television shows (Game of Thrones, Prison Break, Person of Interest), and video games (Medal of Honor, Game of Thrones). Those all have epic, pulse-pounding scores that charge you up and immerse you in the big fights and action scenes. Sounds just about right for the inevitable clash between human and orc armies.Industrial Light & Magic is doing the visual effects for Warcraft, so you can rest easy knowing that it will look ridiculously beautiful. Blizzard spared no expense in the VFX department, which goes to show you how they are taking every measure to make sure the movie is a success. Nothing would hurt the movie more than some wonky looking orcs. Working on Warcraft is a chance for ILM to get back to the creature creation they made their name on, and what better opportunity than a movie filled with all manner of fantastical creatures?

Ben Foster Talks about His Character and ILM's Effects

In order for the orcs to convey the same range of emotion as the humans, ILM is using motion-capture to seamlessly translate the actors’ performances onto their digital counterparts. And it really is seamless -- we saw a bit of test footage showcasing Durotan, played by Toby Kebbell.The clip featured a close-up Durotan’s face, his eyes staring, his lips opening to speak but then after a beat of hesitation they close. We hear a sound off-camera -- his wife stirring awake -- and with a look of concern and affection in his eyes he speaks a line to her, a soft delivery but with a deep register befitting an orc.Let’s just say that after seeing that nuanced and emotional depiction of an orc husband watching over his wife -- that only lasted 10 seconds -- we have faith that ILM will do a smashing job bringing the orcs to life.