Australian actor Travis Fimmel appeared on not one but two panels at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend. Fimmel was there to promote season 4 of Vikings, currently filming in Ireland, as well as the upcoming fantasy film Warcraft, based on the highly popular game World of Warcraft, directed by Duncan Jones (Moon).
Fimmel was the first actor to join Jones on the stage for Legendary’s Warcraft panel and the director said he was focused on bringing an epic film to life for all fans of fantasy, whether they played WoW or not. Fimmel portrays Sir Anduin Lothar in Warcraft and is the main star of the film for the Alliance. He said he and the cast were lucky to be under the direction of Jones.
“He put us in this amazing world of magical characters and it was such a great experience, and a new one for me. I’ve never done the motion capture stuff. It’s amazing to see that this is what I was actually looking at,” Fimmel said.
Referring to the exclusive Warcraft footage shown to the audience, Fimmel admitted it was the first he had seen, describing it as very different to what he had witnessed while on the set, where he saw only “broomsticks with foam on the end” and Toby Kebbell (who plays the orc Durotan) “walking around in pyjamas with all the spots on him.” Fimmel was thrilled with the footage. “It looks amazing mate. I’m very impressed,” he said.
Dominic Cooper who plays King Llane said the Alliance had it “really tough” on the Warcraft set. “We had to wear those incredibly heavy outfits every day,” he said.
Legendary Pictures also revealed for the first time the character art from Warcraft of Lothar and Durotan at Comic-Con, Fimmel’s image as The Lion of Azeroth met with considerable buzz. Fimmel also joined fellow Alliance cast mates for a signing.
On Friday, Fimmel had joined Vikings creator Michael Hirst and fellow cast members of the award winning historical drama for a Q&A panel and an exclusive trailer was released of the upcoming season. In the trailer we see Fimmel’s character Ragnar Lothbrok back in Kattegat after returning from France. Evidently, the Viking king is dealing with betrayal once again, as he comes to terms with the actions of Floki in season 3. “You betrayed my trust, and most importantly, my love for you,” Ragnar tells a dejected Floki, who is in chains.
The trailer also shows Queen Aslaug (portrayed by Australia’s Alyssa Sutherland) in a bid to become sole ruler of Kattegat, as her relationship with Ragnar continues its downward spiral. The new trailer depicts Fimmel in emotional turmoil, something his character has become renown for, and something he excels at in his portrayal of Lothbrok.
In an interview with IGN at Comic-Con, Fimmel said season 4 of Vikings was shaping up to be very exciting. “We carry on straight from what we did last year. Ragnar is still very sick. You don’t know if he’s going to die or not. And Rollo is the old turncoat. We’re going to have it out if I survive,” he said.
With season 4 of Vikings set to air around February and with Warcraft due for release in cinemas next June, 2016 is shaping up to be a big year for Travis Fimmel.
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