Warner Bros. are on an announcement streak! Following yesterday’s headline-grabbing extravaganza, during which the studio outlined their collaborative plans with DC Comics, it seems they’re now deep in negotiations for another adaptation. This time, they’re not turning to the pages of a comic or novel for inspiration, instead, they’re tapping the video game market to bring a Minecraft live-action pic to the big screen.
Now, this news may seem like old hat, because the project was given the greenlight eons ago, but now we’ve got an update; Deadline has it on good authority that the studio are courting Shawn Levy for the director’s chair.
Warner’s decision to adapt yet another video game franchise came after the colossal success of The LEGO Movie, which is now in line for its own clutch of spinoffs and sequels. Judging by today’s news, they’re hoping to replicate the success of that block-bustin’ blockbuster by transforming Minecraft into its own series. While early details for the project are still in the preliminary stages, we do know that Vertigo are developing the pic for Warner with The LEGO Movie’s Roy Lee and Jill Messick on board to produce.
For those unfamiliar, the open-world game finds players tasked with creating building blocks, embarking on adventures, and collecting items to facilitate their wellbeing. With many modes available to choose from, there’s going to be a plethora of options for spinoffs, sequels and the like for the big screen adaptation.
Assessing the game’s overall aim, it does strike me that Levy may be a rather unorthodox choice for the gig. His most recent outing, This Is Where I Leave You, is a character dramedy piece that’s a million miles from the action-packed, rough-n-tumble style Minecraft hints at. But, he’s also got Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb scheduled to be released in December, and that entire franchise definitely proves he’s got the ability to mesh CGI and live-action with great success.
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