alt="Shattrath Concept Art" />

Even with the release date pushed back
almost a year, the World of Warcraft movie is no longer just a
fantasy. To further drive that point home, today Legendary and
Universal Pictures released a list of confirmed actors that have been
signed to play in the movie.

No Big Names Here

As mentioned above, this first glimpse
into the actors that will take part in the World of Warcraft movie
reveals no big names. Sorry folks, no Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, or
Halle Berry here. The actors announced by the studio are:

• Ben Foster (Six Feet Under)
• Travis Fimmel (Vikings)
• Paula Patton (Mission Impossible: Ghost
  Protocol)
• Toby Kebbel (War Horse)
• Rob Kazinsky (Pacific Rim)
• Dominic Cooper (Captain America)

While many of these actors aren't
household names, the movies they have played parts in are. This means
that while these actors may not have hit the A-list quite yet, they
are good enough to star in feature films alongside some pretty
well-respected and talented actors. This is no small feat and speaks
worlds for their acting skills. With this in mind, I think we can
probably safely say these actors have a good possibility of doing a
great job portraying the characters we love. Even if you are still
skeptical about these actors and really want to see some big stars,
keep in mind that big name actors in a movie like this might be a
bit...distracting.

Simply Distracting

One of the downfalls of big name actors
is that they are distinctly recognizable to most movie-goers. No
matter what character they are playing or how well they are doing it,
you can't totally forget who they are. For example, when Johnny Deep
plays Captian Jack Sparrow, the acting is superb. However, you still
can't help but know in the back of your head that it is Johnny Depp
behind the wall of make up and familiar costume.

While this might not seem like a flaw
to some, it can be in a movie rooted in total fantasy. You see, much
like in the game, the movie is going to need to immerse us in a world
of total fiction. The game achieves this by taking us into Azeroth, a
world in which the impossible can happen and real life seems very far
away. The movie will need to achieve the same thing.

While I would love to see some of my
favorite actors take to the screen in the World of Warcraft movie, I
think that they would only serve to take me out of the fantasy. Using
lesser known actors ensures when I look at their face I see
Garrosh, Grom, or Thrall and not Brad, Leonardo, or Angelina. If done
right, these people can actually be transformed into the characters
we love and we will believe it. And we, the general audience and
hardcore WoW fans, need to believe it.

alt="Distracting Shot Tooltip" />

A Risk Worth Taking?

While big name actors may be considered
an on-screen distraction in a movie like this, they still may be
asked to play a part. However, many will likely not accept. World of
Warcraft is a well known game, however, we all have to admit that
creating a movie about it is still risky. There are still plenty of
people out there that have never heard about it, or worse, have heard
about it and scorn it.

In fact, there are even some fans of
the game that are not so sure how a movie will turn out. It could
either be a roaring success or a huge flop. Big name actors are going
to have the same things on their mind. While it may be easier for
them to take the risk and come out unscathed, many will simply choose
not to take it on. While I have high hopes for the movie, if things
don't go exactly right, this could be a total disaster and many
actors may not want to take that chance. Lesser-known actors are
usually more willing to jump on board and give risky films a whirl
and unleash untapped talent.

Untapped Talent

One of the things big name actors are
famous for is giving epic performances and of course, we all want
that for the World of Warcraft movie. In fact, we NEED that for the
movie. While many may disagree, I feel that there is a ton of
untapped talent in many unknown actors. Maybe they are just trying
harder to get noticed, but I've seen some pretty memorable
performances by actors that wouldn't be recognized by the general
public. In fact, sometimes I even feel like A-List actors have
stopped trying as hard to make their roles believable, at least in
some cases.

This is why I believe that this movie
will be just fine with all these unknowns. Just because they haven’t
had their big break yet doesn’t mean they won't give a performance
that will make us laugh, cry, and feel like we are living the story
right beside them.

alt="Pandaren Hunter Mining" />

It Ain't Over Yet

With all that being said, it ain't over
yet. The list above is just a small sample of the actors expected to
make it into the World of Warcraft movie. Speculation and rumors can
be found all over the internet as to who will be getting a part in
the film and no actor has been left out. Until more names are
released officially, we won't know for sure who managed to snag a
part, but I wouldn't count out your favorite A-lister yet. There is
still plenty of time and plenty of open roles and who knows, they
just might be filled with some big names (Colin Farrell?).

As I may or may not have made clear
earlier, I am totally fine with the lack of well known actors showing
up in this film. In fact, I would rather it be a bunch of unknowns. I
want to get lost in the world and really feel like these characters
are who they are supposed to be, without the distraction of a
well-known face. I also feel that many lesser known actors are often
as good, if not better, than some of the big names out there. I feel
like we can With that being said, even if a big actor makes the
cut, I'll still be seeing the film and will still be hoping for the
best.

Do you think the movie will be better
off without well known actors? Will some actors shy away from the
movie based on it's unusual content? Which actors do you hope will
appear on screen? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section
below!