Video Game Movies Are Back, Part Two (see the first story here)... Just when you thought that Warner Bros.' had decided to box up its long-planned Minecraft adaptation and move it to loft storage, along comes Jason Momoa and, even more surprisingly, Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess to bring the developing project back to life.
Momoa, is, of course, a Warners stalwart, between Aquaman and its sequel, and *Dune*. But Minecraft still feels like a surprising choice for him.
No details have emerged about the potential movie (it was going to be animated for a time, but most of the Momoa reports mention live-action), but the bigger wrinkle in The Ankler's story is the inclusion of Hess as director. It's nothing like what he's brought to screens in the past, but perhaps him looking to dip his toe in blockbuster territory.
The game, from Swedish developer Mojang AB allows you to create and shape an entire world, and by 2014 had sold more than 35 million copies across PCs, the Xbox 360 and mobile platforms. Much like with Lego, the only stories are those created by users, who can choose whether to explore, create or fight with each other. There are also nocturnal monsters stalking the place, which you must deal with. Microsoft bought the company for a couple of billion in 2014.
Minecraft isn't quite as huge these days, but Warners must clearly see franchise potential still lingering in a movie version. The likes of Shawn Levy, Rob McElhenney, Steve Carell and Peter Sollett have all been attached at one point or another, but nothing has come of it so far.