The Original Cut Of The ‘Warcraft’ Movie Was 40 Minutes Longer And Included An Easter Egg

If Warcraft‘s director, Duncan Jones, had his way, the new Warcraft movie would run for an extra 40 minutes beyond its current 123 minutes. Of this cut content, there was an Easter egg tying Jones’ latest movie with his previous movies, Moon (2009) and Source Code (2011).

According to an interview Duncan Jones did with The Daily Beast, the Easter egg involved a character named Chesney Hawkes. “If you know Moon or Source Code, there’s this very sweet, very talented guy named Chesney Hawkes who wrote this really, really big hit in Britain called ‘I Am The One And Only,” Jones explained. “I used it as an alarm clock in Moon, and a ring tone in Source Code—and I actually got him to do a version as a bard in Warcraft.” While this Easter egg may nave been cut from the official version of the Warcraft movie, Jones is hoping to–at least–sneak it out into the world via the Twitterverse. But, in order for a director’s cut of the Warcraft movie, Duncan explained via Twitter that the movie would have to be a theatrical success. Although, according to an interview he did with Collider, Jones suggests at least some of the cut content could turn up on the DVD and Blu-Ray release of the Warcraft movie.

@iAxX23 @ForlornSumika there will be no extended cut unless the theatrical does well. That is just the way of things.

— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) May 29, 2016

While early predictions by the likes of media outlets such as Variety magazine suggest the Warcraft movie will only gross $25 million on its opening weekend in the U.S., early numbers in from the movie’s early release overseas have been promising. According to Deadline, Warcraft made $31.7 million on its opening weekend and placed first in many of these regions. There are still 45 more territories to open over the next two months, including Australia, Brazil, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K., so Warcraft has plenty of time to match the $160 million it cost to produce. The movie is also yet to screen in China, potentially one of its stronger markets.

The Warcraft movie has been a decade long journey for Duncan Jones. Initially, the movie was written from the common viewpoint of humans = good, orcs = evil, a viewpoint he quickly changed when he took over the directing role from Sam Raimi.

“We tried to tell a story that was different from, you know, a Tolkien fantasy where the cute creatures and the humans are the good guys and the monsters are the bad guys. We wanted to do what Warcraft [the game] does, which is allow you to play any character and see yourself as the hero.”

And so Jones took this concept of the movie and created what he hopes will be a broad spectrum fantasy movie that will cover a wider audience than just the gaming world or, alternatively, just those interested in the fantasy realm.

Legendary’s website provides the synopsis and other movie details for Warcraft, via the blurb below.

“Legendary’s Warcraft is a 3D epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based upon Blizzard Entertainment’s globally-renowned universe. Directed by Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) and written by Charles Leavitt and Duncan Jones, the film is a Legendary Pictures, Blizzard Entertainment and Atlas Entertainment production. The producers are Charles Roven, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Alex Gartner and Stuart Fenegan. Jillian Share, Brent O’Connor, Michael Morhaime and Paul Sams serve as executive producers. Rob Pardo, Chris Metzen, Nick Carpenter and Rebecca Steel Roven co-produce.”

The Warcraft movie will be released in 3D by Universal Pictures on Friday, June 10. For fans of Aussie actor Travis Fimmel, Warcraft has been reported by News.com.au to premiere in Australia on June 16.

[Image via Universal Pictures]