Once Jason Momoa was best known for his roles on TV shows like Stargate Atlantis and Game of Thrones, but now he’s a full-blown movie star. From his outings as Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe to playing Duncan Idaho in Dune, this man is among the cream of Hollywood’s crop, and we learned back in late January that Momoa will be lending his talents to Fast & Furious 10. Almost three full months later, now it’s been revealed that Momoa has added yet another blockbuster to his lineup of upcoming movies.
Jason Momoa has entered final negotiations to join the live-action Minecraft movie. No details were shared on who Momoa will be playing, but between this and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, he’s keeping a strong foothold over at Warner Bros. Pictures. It was also revealed by THR that Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess is now attached to direct Minecraft.
Launching in 2011, Minecraft revolves allows players using “blocks” to construct buildings, machines and other things in an open-world terrain. There are no specific goals to accomplish, but the original Minecraft game does have various modes to choose from, including “survival,” “creative,” “adventure” and “spectator.” Three spinoff video games have been released since the original came out to critical acclaim, and the Minecraft franchise has also expanded through books, tabletop game and various kinds of merchandise.
Warner Bros.’ live-action Minecraft movie has been in development since 2014, with various creative talent having entered and exited the project over the years, including directors like Shawn Levy and Rob McElhenney, and writers like Jason Fuchs and duo Aaron and Adam Nee. There was even a period when Steve Carell was attached to star in the Minecraft movie. Ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, Peter Sollett was on track to write and direct Minecraft, but evidently that version of the project ended up dying given today’s news.
Minecraft is just one of the many upcoming video game movies to look forward to, with others including Borderlands, Super Mario Bros., Ghost of Tsushima and Metal Gear Solid. The tides also seem to have shifted as a whole on video game-centric movies in recent years, with flicks like Rampage, Sonic the Hedgehog and Free Guy (to name a few) enjoying critical and/or commercial success. So it’s no wonder Warner Bros. is looking to get Minecraft up and running again, and there’s no specific narrative the film adaptation has to follow, it’s anyone’s guess what sort of hijinks Jason Momoa’s character could get up while constructing.
We’ll pass along any major updates concerning Minecraft, including who will join Jason Momoa in the main cast. Those of you eager for more Momoa content can see him later this year in Netflix’s Slumberland, with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Fast & Furious 10 following on March 17, 2023 and May 19, 2023, respectively.