Meet the characters from "Warcraft: The Beginning"
If you are an avid gamer in the '90s, you would definitely be familiar with the real-time strategy game known as Warcraft. With two decades' worth of expanded and rich history since its 1994 debut, it comes to no surprise that we are getting a big screen treatment to capitalise the success of this hugely popular game.
Now, after 10 years of development, Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures have finally debuted their big-budgeted "Warcraft: The Beginning", a CGI-heavy epic fantasy film directed by Duncan Jones ("Moon" & "Source Code") which features a roster of awesome international cast including Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Toby Kebbell and Daniel Wu.
To coincide with the upcoming release of "Warcraft: The Beginning" on 9 June, let's take a look at some of the characters and the actors featured in the movie.
1. Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel)
A central protagonist for the Alliance, Sir Anduin Lothar is a loyal and courageous knight who must defend the Kingdom of Stormwind (formerly known as the Kingdom of Azeroth) against a legion of orcs from the Horde clan.
Played by Travis Kimmel, the charismatic Australian actor is no stranger to playing medieval roles, especially given his prior experience in the History Channel TV series "Vikings" as Ragnar Lothbrok. "Warcraft: The Beginning" will mark his first major breakthrough in the Hollywood spotlight after a decade of mostly TV roles.
2. Durotan (Toby Kebbell)
A leader of the Frostwolf clan and also the central protagonist of the Horde, Durotan is a noble and heroic orc who enters the world of Azeroth alongside his pregnant wife Draka and best friend Orgrim from their dying homeworld of Draenor.
With a vast acting experience ranging from fantasy ("Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time", "Wrath Of The Titans") to historical epic ("Alexander") and superhero ("Fantastic Four"), English actor Toby Kebbell leads the orc in "Warcraft: The Beginning" as Durotan and this wouldn't be the first time for him to play a character shot entirely via motion-capture technology. After all, he was also known for playing the memorable motion-capture performance as the vicious antagonist Koba two years ago in "Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes".
3. Garona (Paula Patton)
A half-orc female warrior trained as an assassin and a spy, Garona Halforcen is caught in the middle of a conflict between the orcs of the Horde and the human warriors of the Alliance.
Played by the beautiful Los Angeles native Paula Patton, she was first known for her breakthrough performance in "Deja Vu". Besides acting alongside Denzel Washington in that movie, Patton has paired with some of Hollywood's most recognisable acting heavyweights including Kiefer Sutherland in "Mirrors", Kevin Costner in "Swing Vote" and Tom Cruise in "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol". In her latest role as Garona, Patton has to once again undergo extensive training to play a stunt-heavy performance after her prior experience in "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol".
4. Medivh (Ben Foster)
Otherwise known as the Guardian of Tirisfal, Medivh is a reclusive last line of protectors of Azeroth who possesses magical powers.
Played by Ben Foster, the Boston-born actor is a veteran for both Hollywood blockbuster and small-scale features such as "The Punisher", "X-Men: The Last Stand", "Alpha Dog" and "Ain't Them Bodies Saints". He is also known for appearing in a number of critically-acclaimed movies including "3:10 To Yuma", "The Messenger" and "Lone Survivor". He can be seen in "The Program", where he plays the disgraced real-life cyclist Lance Armstrong and also an upcoming blockbuster role in Ron Howard's "Inferno" in late 2016.
5. King Llane (Dominic Cooper)
A steadfast ruler of the Stormwind kingdom, King Llane Wrynn is seen as a symbol of hope for his people to protect his world against the invading orcs.
Played by Dominic Cooper, the dashing English actor is no stranger to high-profile movies such as "Captain America: The First Avenger", "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" and "Need For Speed". He also can be seen in the current AMC TV series, "Preacher" as Jesse Custer.
6. Gul'dan (Daniel Wu)
An ominous orc warlock who leads his people of Horde from their dying homeworld of Draenor through a magical portal to enter the realm of Azeroth, Gul'dan is also known for possessing dark magic.
As Gul'dan in "Warcraft: The Beginning", this is easily Daniel Wu's most high-profile performance to date in his Hollywood crossover where he has to perform and fight using motion-capture technology. Already an established actor in the Chinese-language cinema world, Wu is famously known for appearing in the "Overheard" trilogy as well as other acclaimed performances such as "One Nite In Mongkok", "New Police Story" and "That Demon Within". He also can be currently seen in the AMC TV series, "Into The Badlands" as Sunny.
7. Orgrim (Robert Kazinsky)
A strong and brave orc warrior, Orgrim is a friend of Durotan who arrives together from their dying homeworld of Draenor to cross into the world of Azeroth.
A huge fan of the WoW (World Of Warcraft) game himself, this is a dream come true for the U.K.-born actor Robert Kazinsky who plays the role of Orgrim shot via motion-capture technology. He was, of course, known for appearing in TV series such as "True Blood" and "Second Chance".
8. Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer)
A brilliant rookie wizard and an apprentice of Medivh, Khadgar is trained to become the next guardian to protect Azeroth.
As the young magician Khadgar in "Warcraft: The Beginning", this will mark Ben Schnetzer's biggest acting breakthrough yet in Hollywood. He was previously known for appearing in many TV series including "Law & Order" and "Happy Town", and can be seen in the upcoming Oliver Stone-directed biopic "Snowden".
"Warcraft: The Beginning" opens in cinemas nationwide on 9 June 2016.
