Movies based on video games do not have a great critical track record because too often they are made with aspirations for money instead of quality, according to Legendary Pictures' Thomas Tull, producer of the upcoming Warcraft movie based on Blizzard Entertainment's beloved fantasy franchise.
"Doing a video game movie has not really been done well, and I think part of the reason for that is it's been done for the wrong reasons," Tull told IGN. "If you simply say 'How many people have played the game? How much money can we make?' You're doomed. You're doomed right off the start."
Tull, of course, says Warcraft will be different, thanks in part to director Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code), and the cast he's been able to assemble.
"We hope that when you see the first trailer for it, you're going to say 'OK, this is not what I was expecting.' He's an incredibly exciting filmmaker," Tull said.
Tull is in business to sell you on the idea that the Warcraft movie will be great, but fans will get to decide for themselves when the first trailer is released. Asked when it would arrive, Tull said, "We show up every summer at Comic-Con--we really enjoy it, and the fans seem to enjoy taking a look at things, so I wouldn't be surprised."
"With a great cast, there's a lot of folks to follow, so I'd look more in that direction because there's so many talented people working on it," he said. "We're very aware of the fact that in the mythology of Warcraft, there are two tribes--two big things to follow. We think you're going to get a chance to look at both."
Though movies based on video games don't have a great critical track record, the same can't be said for the commercial opportunity of such films. For instance, the recent Need for Speed movie bombed with critics, but it became profitable in under two weeks.
Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @EddieMakuch
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