Despite its popularity with today's yoof and the need to strike while the virtual iron is hot, progress on a movie adapted from Minecraft has been relatively slow. Still, it's taken a step forward, with Steve Carell entering talks to star.
Rob McElhenney is still aboard to direct the film version, with Wonder Woman's Jason Fuchs providing the script. The actual details remain a mystery, though there is material to be mined (minecrafted?) from the sprawling game, which lets players build blocky structures and, should they so desire, battle creatures that come out at night... mostly. There's a concern that any film would have to drag the target audience away from interacting with their favorite game in order to passively watch something on a screen, but The Lego Movie at least proved that if you offer a compelling – and in that case, funny – narrative, you can find success. Indeed, we're sure Warner Bros. will be hoping Minecraft spawns its own cinematic universe.
Carell isn't confirmed yet, but with a 2019 release date pencilled in for this one, at least there's still time. The actor will next be seen on screens in based-on-real-life tennis drama Battle Of The Sexes, which has yet to announce its release plans.