It’s been quite a while since Duncan Jones started work on his ambitious Warcraft film, but now the director is finally offering up some intel on the videogame-based flick.

Jones (Moon) started filming almost a year ago, and wrapped not long ago. Now the project is in a very lengthy post-production process to allow for a boatload of FX work to take place before the planned March 2016 opening.

But what is the film actually about? Great question, especially considering there is quite a lot of lore to draw from in the long-running Warcraft franchise. Jones opened up about the plot in a recent interview with Chinese entertainment outlet Mtime, revealing that the film will not be your typical good-vs.-evil fantasy flick. Oh, and it’ll also follow the first-ever meeting between humans and orcs.

Check out the choice excerpts below:

“From the moment I first talked to Blizzard, the plan was to start our film with the first time Orcs met Humans. First contact! I think that for a world with so much newness to explain, this was a wise choice, especially when so many people in our audience may not know anything about Warcraft… it was important that some of our characters would be seeing the world fresh as well, and that the audience could see the situation through their eyes… A Warcraft film should not be about a good race of humans battling an evil race of orcs! Warcraft should be about heroes on both sides trying to avoid a conflict, when villains leave them no choice. Peter Jackson did a magnificent job of ‘setting the table’ for Tolkein’s universe with his first Lord of the Rings film. I know that my job in this first film is to establish certain characters, places and culture while telling a story that a broad audience can be excited by! Hopefully, if I have done my job right, people will want to know and see more! There is certainly plenty more to tell! …I would love to be part of that process of expanding on the lore that makes up Warcraft, but it will all depend on what you, the audience, think of our first film!”

The reference and connection to Lord of the Rings is obvious, and if this movie manages to take off it has the potential to be the next epic fantasy franchise for the next several years. We also love the concept of focusing on both sides of the conflict, which could make for one heck of a nice twist on the old formula.

Warcraft is set to open March 11, 2016. Do you like the direction Jones is heading?

(Via Collider)