Minecraft is one of the most popular video games of all-time. For those not familiar with the building simulator, it’s best summed up as “virtual LEGO”, but there are other gameplay elements as well for those who like to go deeper with the content. More importantly for the studio behind the movie, it’s an immensely valuable IP, and producer Roy Lee is trying to guide it to the same level of success as he did with The LEGO Movie.
Steve recently spoke to Lee at DICE 2016, and during their conversation, they talked about what’s currently going on with Minecraft. “We are currently in the scripting stages,” Lee said. “And also doing visual designs to show the studio what the world will look like.”
For those who take a “Trust the developer” approach, you don’t have to worry about the company behind Minecraft, Mojang, being cut out of the process. Lee says they’ve been a big part of helping to bring the film to life:
"The company, Mojang, is very involved in the development. So they know everything is going to be in the movie that can give us insight into future updates so we can put things into the movie around the same time they relaunch newer versions of the game and at the same time, potentially taking ideas from the movie and putting them into the game. So I don’t know exactly what things are going into the game, but they know exactly what’s going into the movie.
So if all the building blocks are in place, when will we see this? As we previously reported, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhnney is writing and directing, and Lee believes that the movie is likely to go into production for Warner Bros (the same studio behind LEGO Movie) later this year.
But who is this movie for? Minecraft is an all-ages phenomenon that appeals to both die-hards and to casual gamers. When it comes to the movie, Lee says they’re going for “the same target audience as Jurassic World” so does this mean it will be PG-13 as opposed to PG like The LEGO Movie? Lee didn’t say, but he did give a logline:
"Minecraft would be part of a multiverse where humans can enter that has the feel of what the live action version of a Minecraft experience."
So I put it to you Minecraft fans: does what Lee have to say about the project get you excited for the movie? Are you cautiously optimistic? Break out your pixelated swords and sound off in the comments section.
For more on Lee’s other projects, click on the links below:
- Exclusive: ‘The Stand’ Movie “in a Holding Pattern,” TV Idea Abandoned
- Exclusive: ‘It’ Movie Hopefully Shooting This Year; Will Be Rated-R
- Producer Roy Lee Gives Updates on ‘The Strangers 2’ and ‘Rings’
- Exclusive: ‘Death Note’ Movie Rating and Tone Revealed
- Exclusive: New ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Movie Will Be Like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ in a Tolkien-Like Universe
- ‘The LEGO Movie’ Producer Roy Lee Teases ‘LEGO Batman’, ‘Ninjago’, and ‘LEGO 2’