Back in February, Warner Bros announced plans to adapt the popular video game MINECRAFT into a feature film. Since then, we haven’t heard much but as THE LEGO MOVIE has gone on to become a massive success with 3 planned sequels and spin-offs, WB is plowing ahead with their other brick-based property.
Deadline reports that NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM director Shawn Levy is in talks with WB to develop MINECRAFT as a feature and potential franchise-starter. Levy would partner with Roy Lee, one of the producers on THE LEGO MOVIE. Levy has worked in various genres in films such as REAL STEEL, THE PINK PANTHER, and most recently THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU. But, his work on the NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM series is likely what has drawn the studio to him as their directorial choice.
MINECRAFT, if you are one of the few people left who have never heard of it, is an open world game that allows players to build their world from scratch using a block system very similar to LEGOs. The big difference is that MINECRAFT has a built in network of animals, people, and monsters that could serve as a generic jumping off point for a feature film. While Levy is not my favorite director, I think he may be a decent fit for the material which will hopefully blend comedy and innovative effects like THE LEGO MOVIE did.
Warner Bros has no release date for the MINECRAFT film, but expect it to be sometime in the next few years.