Steve Carell To Star In Video Game Adaptation 'Minecraft'

Turning video games into hit movies is one piece of alchemy Hollywood has yet to master, missing far more often than they manage to make something work. But given the built in fanbase and potential money to made, by God they will keep trying to make it happen. And Warner Bros. is getting a little bit closer to bringing “Minecraft” to the big screen by finally landing a star to lead the way.

Steve Carell is the somewhat unlikely choice to lead the movie based on the game that lets players build an avatar and fight monsters in an environment you create (at least according to my very cursory understanding of the game). At any rate, director Rob McElhenney (yep, the guy from “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” who is making his feature debut with this project) and Jason Fuchs (“Wonder Woman“) are the guys tasked with a creating a narrative out of the free form game, which seems a bit antithetical to the spirit of “Minecraft.”

There’s still lots of time to tinker as Warner Bros. is in no big rush, with the film dated for a May 25, 2019 release date. But will people still care about “Minecraft” by then, or will gamers be hot on something else? Time will tell. [Variety]