For over 10 years, Minecraft has been an incredibly popular game for video gamers of all ages. Now, it may be the next big gaming franchise to get its own movie. Via The Hollywood Reporter, Jason Momoa is in final talks to headline the live-action Minecraft film.
Momoa is best known for his roles as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones and Aquaman in Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe. He is also the star of Apple TV+’s See and the upcoming miniseries Chief of War. Momoa has also been featured in Conan the Barbarian, Stargate: Atlantis, and Dune.
Minecraft is a deceptively simple game that lets players use blocks to literally reshape the world of the game and build almost anything that they can imagine. It proved to be so popular that Microsoft paid $2.5 billion to acquire both the game and its parent company, Mojang Studios, in 2014. Across all platforms, Minecraft has approximately 140 million active players.
Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess has already been signed to direct Minecraft. Shawn Levy and Rob McElhenney were both previously attached to helm the film earlier in its development.
Jill Messick is getting a rare posthumous credit as a producer on this project because she actively developed it before she died in 2018. Dune producers Mary Parent and Roy Lee will also produce Minecraft alongside Mojang’s Lydia Winters and Vu Bui. Jon Berg, Cale Boyter, and Jon Spaihts are attached as executive producers.
Warner Bros. Pictures hasn’t set a date for Minecraft, or announced a production schedule. But given the pedigree of the game and its continued popularity, the Minecraft movie will likely be a major tentpole release for the studio.