Steve Carell in Talks to Join 'Minecraft' Movie
By Justin Kroll, Variety
Warner Bros. is getting close to making the first big casting for its Minecraft movie: Steve Carell.
Carell is in talks to join the ensemble of the studio’s big-screen adaptation of the popular video game. Rob McElhenney is on board to direct the pic. McElhenney also penned the latest draft with Wonder Woman scribe Jason Fuchs.
Warner Bros. had no comment on the casting.
Related: ‘Wonder Woman’ Scribe Jason Fuchs to Write Latest Draft of ‘Minecraft’
Warner Bros. acquired film rights to the video game franchise in February from Swedish developer Mojang AB and set up the project with Roy Lee through his Vertigo Entertainment production company, along with Jill Messick (Mean Girls).
The game, which debuted in 2009, allows players to create their own avatars and build an environment using textured cubes in a 3D world as they battle nocturnal monsters. Multiple gameplay modes are available, including survival mode, creative mode, and adventure mode.
The movie is set to bow on May 25, 2019.
In recent years, Carell has balanced high-profile commercial films like Crazy Stupid Love and Anchorman 2 with prestige movies like Foxcatcher and The Big Short. The latter earned Carell some of the best reviews of his career.
Carell was most recently seen in Woody Allen’s Cafe Society and recently wrapped production on Fox Searchlight’s Battle of the Sexes, where he played Bobby Riggs opposite Emma Stone, who played Billie Jean King.
