Warcraft movie gets Saving Private Ryan scribe

Ever since director Sam Raimi got on board in July, the Warcraft film has been making headlines. Last week, word spread that the project would premiere in 2011 and would be subtitled "The Rise of the Lich King." The title would indicate that the film would chronicle the Lord of the Rings-ish story of Arthas Menethil, a benevolent paladin prince corrupted by the runeblade Frostmourne and turned into an undead lord.

As of press time, Blizzard Entertainment had not commented on the Warcraft movie's storyline. However, Raimi was all too happy to talk to MTV News about his vision for the film's plot, which he says will be true to the game franchise's spirit.

"We want to be really faithful to the game…to the Horde and the Alliance and the mythology that takes place in the game, and the archetypes that the game presents," Raimi said. "I think we would try and find touchstones within the game to make it accurate and true and choose one or some of the lands that are portrayed in the game with as much accuracy and authenticity as possible."

Then, Raimi revealed that the Warcraft movie will have the same screenwriter who won an Oscar nomination for 1997's Saving Private Ryan. "We would have our writer, Robert Rodat, really craft an original story within that world that feels like a World of Warcraft adventure," said Raimi. "Only obviously it's very different 'cause it's expanded and translated into the world of a motion picture." Rodat also penned the screenplays for Fly Away Home (1996) and The Patriot (2000).

First announced at the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo, the Warcraft film is being produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. The subject of much speculation, the movie was, ironically, once linked to Saving Private Ryan director Steven Spielberg. No casting information or release date has been announced.