The long overdue “Minecraft” movie from Warner Bros. will reportedly star “Aqua Man” and “Dune” actor Jason Momoa, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Monday.
Momoa, who made his acting debut as Jason Loane on the syndicated action drama series “Baywatch: Hawaii,” is in “final negotiations” to be the leading actor, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.
The film has also tapped Jared Hess, who directed the 2011 cultural phenomenon “Napoleon Dynamite,” to join the team as director.
Minecraft, the first-person survival game published by Mojang Studios, hit the scene in November 2011. when the first installment in the franchise came out.
The game, which lets users explore infinite worlds and build anything from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles, has seen great success, with the latest version, Minecraft Dungeons, being unveiled in May 2020.
Fans have been eagerly waiting for the film since the project was originally announced in 2014, but long-running production issues have pushed back its release for years.
Shawn Levy (“Night at the Museum”), Rob McElhenney (“It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia”) and Peter Sollett (“Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist”) have all been in talks to direct in the past.
During the pandemic, the “Minecraft” movie experienced yet another delay due to Warner Bros. lining up “The Batman” to be released ahead of “Minecraft.”
Despite the production setbacks, it would make sense for Warner Bros. to finally take the reins on the project as Minecraft has 141 million active players worldwide and has raked in over $415 million since its release in 2011.
Specific details on the film’s plot remain a mystery, but fans expect to see the film in theaters sooner rather than later since Warner Bros.′ rights to Minecraft as a movie project expire in January, which means production would have to start this year, according to The Ankler.
A release date for the film has yet to be announced.