Considering the muddy new lore and the constant retcons, I think it is too late to make another Warcraft movie or even a TV show.
I always thought the WC series would be a better fit for an animated show, but then I fear it would suffer the Game of Thrones effect, which GoT suffered from lack of original material as the seasons surpassed the books and lacked an original storyline to base the new seasons from.
With the latest retcons muddying the lore, I believe that a WC TV show would decline in quality of storytelling. WC will be remembered for being wonderful games to play, but its story will be less than desired.
Anything created to that effect would likely cover previously-tread ground in greater detail, and for a more general audience. Things like the (good parts of) Arthas storyline, that are fully, indisputably Warcraft, and actually have a rich narrative with compelling, conflicted characters.
There’s so much stuff that is cool to us but isn’t acceptable high fantasy. All the Old Gods, for instance. In WoW, the Old Gods are among some of my favorite things. More Horrific Visions on the roadmap? I was giddy to see it.
But 99% of it is kind of just re-interpreted Lovecraft lore applied to the Warcraft franchise. Which is cool, because Lovecraft’s “latent, eldritch horrors” are freaking perfect always. But it’s still kind of re-imagined IP. Those kinds of nods and homages are littered and intertwined all through WoW. Which is good, but complicates things from an internal, cohesive point of view.
I personally loved the Warcraft movie, thought it was compelling, thought it was generalized enough but deep enough. Just don’t make an anime of it or something, plz.
The comic series that Blizz released over a decade ago has lots of lore that could be used for a TV series though.
Arthas: Rise of the Lich King – A Story That Deserves a TV Series
Arthas: Rise of the Lich King is the ideal Warcraft story for a TV series because it’s a self-contained, character-driven tragedy. You don’t need to know every detail about orcs, elves, or the Burning Legion to follow it. The story stands on its own: a prince, driven by pride and desperation to save his people, makes increasingly dark choices until he becomes the very monster he sought to destroy. It’s a timeless story of power, corruption, and loss that would resonate with any audience, not just Warcraft fans.
The show would follow Arthas from his early days as the crown prince of Lordaeron, a paladin of the Silver Hand, and his relationship with Jaina Proudmoore. It would build up through the horrors of the Plague of Undeath, the moral collapse at the Culling of Stratholme, and his obsession with stopping Mal’Ganis at any cost. It would hit hard as Arthas claims Frostmourne in Northrend, sacrificing his soul for power. From there, the story darkens further—Arthas returns home as a Death Knight, murders his own father, lays waste to Quel’Thalas, and raises Sylvanas Windrunner as a banshee. His power grows, but cracks begin to show as Illidan assaults the Frozen Throne using the Eye of Sargeras, weakening the Lich King’s hold and giving the Forsaken their chance for revenge.
The final arc would culminate in Arthas’ desperate return to Northrend to save the Lich King from Illidan’s attack. The climax? Arthas defeating Illidan and merging with the Lich King—sitting atop the Frozen Throne with the chilling final words: “Now, we are one.”
It’s definitely too late for another movie, but we do need an animated TV show.