Jason Momoa signs on to star in Warner Bros.’ long-gestating Minecraft movie for director Jared Hess
Warner Bros. is getting back into business with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom star Jason Momoa, bringing him in for their long-gestating Minecraft movie.
The 42-year-old actor has signed on for an unspecified role in the video game adaptation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) has also come aboard to direct, indicating the project finally has some forward motion after nearly a decade in development.
Minecraft: Warner Bros. is getting back into business with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom star Jason Momoa, bringing him in for their long-gestating Minecraft movie
Unspecified: The 42-year-old actor has signed on for an unspecified role in the video game adaptation, according to The Hollywood Reporter
The Minecraft video game debuted in 2011, created by Swedish game designer Markus Persson and developed by Mojang Studios.
The unconventional game doesn’t have any particular goals, though it allows users to create worlds through blocks as they try to survive in the worlds they create.
The game became an immediate sensation, with over 100 million users signing up in the first few years that lead to Microsoft’s whopping $2.5 billion acquisition of Mojang in 2014.
First game: The Minecraft video game debuted in 2011, created by Swedish game designer Markus Persson and developed by Mojang Studios
There have been a number of spin-offs such as Minecraft: Story Mode with Telltale Studios in 2014, Minecraft Earth in 2019 and Minecraft Dungeons in 2020.
Shortly after its release, a number of filmmakers and producers expressed interest but Mojang’s CEO Carl Manneh said in an interview they would only engage, ‘if the right idea comes along.’
Creator Persson revealed that Mojang was in talks with Warner Bros. for a Minecraft film, with Shawn Levy (Free Guy) the first to be attached to direct, from a script by Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman).
Spinoffs: There have been a number of spin-offs such as Minecraft: Story Mode with Telltale Studios in 2014, Minecraft Earth in 2019 and Minecraft Dungeons in 2020
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star/co-creator Rob McElhenney came aboard to direct in 2015, with Steve Carell attached to star.
Early production did get started in 2016, however that progress was halted when then-Warner Bros. CEO Greg Silverman stepped down and was replaced by Toby Emmerich.
Reports claimed that Emmerich had a ‘different vision’ for the film, with McElhenney leaving the project in 2018.
Vision: Reports claimed that Emmerich had a ‘different vision’ for the film, with McElhenney leaving the project in 2018
Aaron and Adam Nee (The Lost City) came aboard to replace McElhenney and Fuchs in 2018, though they were replaced by Peter Sollett in 2019, with the studio setting a March 4, 2022 release date.
That incarnation never got off the ground as the project was shelved due to COVID-19, though now it seems the studio is ready to move forward again with Minecraft, though no details were given about the story or Momoa’s character.
Mary Parent and Roy Lee (Dune) will produce, with Jill Messick also receiving a posthumous producing credit for her work on the film before her passing in 2018.
No details: That incarnation never got off the ground as the project was shelved due to COVID-19, though now it seems the studio is ready to move forward again with Minecraft, though no details were given about the story or Momoa’s character
