A movie like Warcraft shoulders a ton of baggage, perhaps more even than your standard remake or adaptation. That’s because the Warcraft games—World of Warcraft in particular—don’t simply serve as areas of entertainment for their fans, but as completely independent realities in which imagination and devotion reign supreme. To that end, you wouldn’t even want to consider a Warcraft movie that wasn’t couriered by creative forces who didn’t understand the power of its source material.

Luckily, you don’t have to—director Duncan Jones is a fan of every single one of Blizzard Entertainment’s strategy and role-playing games, and has accrued a cast of players who seem to foster a similar appreciation. (Especially Robert Kazinsky, who’s built up a pretty damn impressive Warcraft résumé over the years.)

It’s clear from Nerdist’s conversation with the director and cast of Warcraft that the team has thrust itself full force into this fantastical realm, hoping to attract longtime fans of the franchise and complete newcomers alike. Our own Clarke Wolfe chatted with Jones and his stars—including Toby Kebbell (who plays Orc chieftain Durotan), Paula Patton (the half-Orc, half-human prisoner Garona), and Travis Fimmel (human warrior Lothar), as well as Ben Schnetzer (Khadgar, a disgraced but powerful young wizard) and the aforementioned Kazinsky (Orc warrior Ogrim)—about their personal histories with the games, and about building a cinematic take on the world of magical warfare from the ground up. 

Are you coming to Warcraft as a lifelong devotee or a curious newb? There may well be something for you to enjoy either way. Watch the interview above, and catch Warcraft when it hits theaters on Friday.

Images: Universal Pictures

Editor’s Note: Nerdist is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.