Spider-Man director to make the Warcraft movie

The movie version of Warcraft is already looking like it could well be a cut above the standard game-to-movie fare, with Spider-Man and

Darkman

director Sam Raimi now appointed to sprinkle some Tinseltown magic on Blizzard's hot gaming property.

The Spider-Man trilogy director is also well-known for The Evil Dead and he will be teamed up with Charles Roven's Atlus production team (The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, 12 Monkeys) for the live action Warcraft blockbuster.

Blizzard Entertainment's Senior VP of Creative Development, Chris Metzen, is also on board as a co-producer of the movie.

An action-packed story

"At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story," said Raimi. "I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen."

Blizzard's COO, Paul Sams, said of the appointment: "Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures have a shared vision for this film and we searched at length to find the very best director to bring that vision to life.

"From our first conversation with Sam, we could tell he was the perfect choice. Sam knows how to simultaneously satisfy the enthusiasts and the mainstream audience that might be experiencing that content for the first time. We're looking forward to working with him to achieve that here."

Stay tuned for more news on the Warcraft movie seeping out of Comic-Con later this week and, no doubt, from Blizzard's own BlizzCon event next month.