Jason Momoa Reportedly In Talks To Star In Minecraft Movie
ign.comWarner Bros.' troubled Minecraft movie is reportedly negotiating with Aquaman star Jason Momoa to voice the main protagonist.
According to The Ankler, Warner Bros.' rights to Minecraft expire in January 2023, meaning the studio must start production on the movie before then.
In addition to Momoa, the film has also apparently tapped Jared Hess to direct. Hess is best known for directing Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre.
The report also states Warner Bros. is looking to turn the Minecraft movie into a franchise if the first movie can get off the ground. Recently, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie franchise has successfully proven a video game movie series can work, with two hits at the box office, a third on the way, and a spinoff streaming series in development. It seems Warner Bros. is hoping Minecraft can be next in line to continue that trend.
The Minecraft movie's troubled development dates back nearly a decade when Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy left Warner Bros.' Minecraft project over creative differences in 2014. Levy was replaced by It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-creator Rob McElhenney, but McElhenney also dropped out.
In 2016, the movie was in its scripting stage, and producers said the movie was targeting the same audience as Jurassic World.
Since then, the movie has had multiple release dates come and go, directors drop out, and at one point included Steve Carell. Most recently, the movie was to be directed by Raising Victor Vargas' Peter Sollett with a release date of March 4, 2022.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.
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