Steve Carell in talks to join the Minecraft movie over at Warner Bros.

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

With very few exceptions, I've never been all that much of a video-game guy, so it's not a big surprise that I've never played Minecraft, although I have enjoyed videos of the rather ambitious creations which have emerged from its players. Warner Bros. snagged the rights to create a big-screen adaptation of Minecraft back in 2014, but it's taken some time to get the project off the ground. The MINECRAFT movie took a big leap forward today with the news that Steve Carrell is ready to sign up.

Variety broke the news that Carrell in currently in talks to join the ensemble of the big-screen adaptation of the popular video game, but at the moment, that's about all we know. Minecraft doesn't really have much story to it, leaving it up to the users to craft, explore and create the buildings and world as they see fit, so I imagine that nailing down what the movie will be about has been a bit of a challenge. Shawn Levy (NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM) was attached to develop the film for Warner Bros. but unfortunately he butted heads with Mojang, the game makers who make Minecraft, over the creative direction of the movie and soon departed. Levy said that he had come up with an idea that felt good to him but that Mojang had turned it down saying that they didn't quite know what they wanted the movie to be, but that Levy's approach didn't feel right.

After Levy's departure, Rob McElhenney, co-creator and star of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, was hired by Warner Bros. to direct the MINECRAFT movie which he will also co-write with Jason Fuchs (WONDER WOMAN). Producer Roy Lee (THE LEGO MOVIE) said that the film was in the scripting stage earlier this year and that they were busy "doing visual designs to show the studio what the world will look like.” MINECRAFT is set for a May 25, 2019 release.