Though the character will be computer generated, Orgrim is played by Robert Kazinsky and is based partially around his facial structure. Brits may recognize Kazinsky from various TV appearances on Sky One and the BBC, such as EastEnders, but American geeks are most likely to know him as Chuck Hansen, the rival Jaeger pilot in the father/son team from Guillermo Del Toro’s fantastic Pacific Rim. “We were looking for someone who would be able to perform the gruffness, the humor, and the toughness of this character,” explained director Jones.
Orgrim’s visual design comes courtesy of Industrial Light and Magic, who combined pictures of Kazinsky with concept art from Blizzard’s long-running Warcraft franchise to create the character with exquisite realism, just like the team did recently for the Hulk in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The real test of a CGI character’s efficacy is, of course, when they start moving, but these stills are a promising start.
In Warcraft lore, Orgrim is a foundational leader of the orcs, serving as warchief of the mighty Blackrock clan during the First and Second Wars. He is childhood friends with Durotan, the film’s supposed Orc protagonist, and father of Thrall, who was one of the main characters in Warcraft III credited with uniting the orc clans into the mighty Horde by the time of World of Warcraft.
The film will supposedly be set sometime during the events of the First War between Orcs and Humans, which coincides with Blizzard’s breakout strategy game, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. The Horde’s capital city of Orgrimmar is named after Orgrim.
Warcraft will arrive in theaters on June 10, 2016.
