Warcraft: The Beginning is a 2016 American action fantasy movie directed by Duncan Jones and written by Charles Leavitt and Jones. It’s based on the video game series of the same name. The movie stars Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster, Dominic Copper, Toby Kebbell, Ben Schnetzer, Robert Kazinsky, Clancy Brown and Daniel Wu. Take a look below for 27 more fun and interesting facts about Warcraft: The Beginning.

1. The movie portrays the initial encounters between the humans and the orcs. It takes place in a variety of locations established in the video game series.

2. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics and a disappointing domestic box office performance, the movie grossed $433 million worldwide, surpassing Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time as the highest grossing video game adaption of all time.

3. Duncan Jones said that the original script was very one sided; he stated it, “was the stale fantasy trope of, humans are the good guys and monsters are the bad guys.” After singing on to direct, he made major edits to the story, as well as the script, so both factions could tell their side of the story. He got approval from Blizzard, who was also looking to change the story.

4. Bill Westenhofer, the lead visual effects supervisor for the movie, is a long time World of Warcraft player and has mentioned getting up at 2 AM to raid with his guild while on film sets.

5. Robert Kazinsky is a die hard Warcraft player and recalls producers telling him to turn the game off while on the set of Pacific Rim.

6. An Orcish dialect was created specifically for the movie.

7. The source for the movie adaption was taken from the books “Rise of the Horse,” which tells how the Orcish Horde was formed; as well as “The Last Guardian,” which shows the human side and reaction to the Orcish invasion.

8. Lifesize weapons and suits of armor were built for the orcs despite the orcs being played by actors through motion capture. This was mainly for photographic references and so that they could use them as props on the set.

9. Recognized by his ponytail and iconic ax, Grommash Hellscream makes a few appearances during the movie. While he doesn’t speak or involve himself in the story, his presence is still a subtle nod to the die-hard fans of the franchise.

10. When a fan asked Duncan Jones where he would be shooting the movie during a Blizz-Con Q&A, he wasn’t allowed to answer but did hint at the shirt he was wearing that said “Vancouver.”

11. The movie went through 20 months of post production. Thomas Tull, the CEO of Legendary Pictures and the producer of the movie, said that the things Duncan Jones and the special effects team were doing were truly cutting edge.

12. Duncan Jones said that the Warcraft universe is very “High Fantasy” or, in other words, very eccentric and planned to make it feel more grounded in reality though at the same time keep the look and fell of the games in the movie.

13. Colin Farrell was approached for the role of King Llane and he even met with the director and read the script. However, he wasn’t cast and Dominic Cooper then took the role.

14. Chris Metzen, the lead story writer at Blizzard Entertainment and the voice of many key characters in the Warcraft series, was also in charge of the story of the movie.

15. It took 123 days to complete filming of Warcraft: The Beginning.

16. Famous orc chieftains from Draenor appear in the Horde when the Dark Portal opens. These include Kilrogg Deadeye, Kargath Bladefist and Grommash Hellscream.

17. Early in the movie, a murloc can be seen by a small stream. The noise it makes is the same as the creature in World of Warcraft can be heard making.

18. At the 2014 Comic-Con, Legendary brought some weapons from the movie to show off as well as a teaser. Fans of the series instantly recognized one of the weapons on display that is commonly known as the Doomhammer.

19. In an interview with The Red Bulletin, Travis Fimmel admitted to not having heard of the Warcraft franchise prior to signing for the movie.

20. Terry Notary, who portrays Grommash Hellscream, is alternatively known for performing orc movements and teaching his co-stars.

21. You can see a summoning stone in the background as the Alliance ride by in the woods.

22. Gryphons weren’t used by the Alliance until the Second War when the Wildhammer dwarves joined. While prior to the Second War, Wildhammers were the only people capable of taming the beasts, and later afforded the Alliance their iconic war mounts.

23. Duncan Jones faced personal struggles during filming. His wife Rodene Ronquillo was diagnosed with breast cancer soon after Jones took over, and his father David Bowie died from cancer late in production. Jones summed up the challenge as: “My film started and ended with cancer.”

24. Deadwind Pass, the relatively small region which contained Karazhan, is depicted as being quite verdant in the movie. However, it has long been a grey, dismal and lifeless region as a direct result of an ancient explosion which sapped all life from the area long ago, hence its name.

25. Gary Whitta wrote a script to the movie that was scrapped once Sam Raimi took over.

26. Orgrim Doomhammer is depicted in the uncharacteristic primitive attire of the Horde, who had been gifted greater technology and featured extensive use of heavy plated armor as part of their pact with the Burning Legion, instead of his iconic black and gold “Doom Plate” armor, which was later given to Thrall when Orgrim named him as his successor.

27. When Khadgar does his final push to defeat corrupted Medivh, he gains a similar yellow glow effect, like in the game, when players gain new levels.