There aren't too many video games that inspire the level of imagination and creativity that's inherent in Minecraft, which is probably why Warner Bros. wants to make a film adaptation of the game. Hoping to imitate the success of The LEGO Movie, Warner Bros. has been trying to get a Minecraft movie up and running for a while now. Previously, Jon Spaihts was hired to write the first draft but now a different writer will be stepping in. It's being reported that Jason Fuchs will pen a new draft of the film.
According to Deadline, Warner Bros. is turning to the scribe of Pan to take over the Minecraft script. A Warner Bros. stalwart, Jason Fuchs writing credits include Pan, Ice Age: Continental Drift and the in-development Break My Heart 1000 Times and Lobo. Hopefully Fuchs has whatever Warner is looking for and can bring some whimsy and fun to Minecraft. Fuchs will replace Jon Spaihts, who has written films such as Doctor Strange, The Mummy and Passengers
It's up for debate whether this is a good or bad thing. Pan didn't exactly work out for anyone involved and that was supposed to kick off a new franchise. Fuchs was also at first credited for the Wonder Woman screenplay before his name was left out of a release handed out at San Diego Comic-Con. That announcement said Geoff Johns and Allan Heinberg wrote the screenplay. That's not to say Fuchs was the wrong choice. It's too soon to tell what will happen with Minecraft -- mostly because nothing is known at all about the plot or tone of the film.
Fuchs will be joining director Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), who's making his feature film directing debut. McElhenney may not have much experience in the chair, but his pitch for the film must have been impressive enough for Warner to give him the job. Fuchs and McElhenney certainly have their work cut out for them. There's yet to be a video game movie that has truly been "good," and films like Warcraft haven't exactly made huge impressions. With any luck, the two can come up with a vision that matches the ingenuity of its source material without coming off as a LEGO Movie ripoff.
There isn't an established canon or storyline from Minecraft for a movie to adapt. The highly lucrative main game features a player-created avatar building unique stages out of 3D blocks by day and fending off zombies by night. Minecraft has a number of different modes for players to enjoy, none of which really has any plot that isn't inside the head of the player. The film version could take cues from the Telltale game, Minecraft: Story Mode, a point-and-click adventure game separate from the main series.
Minecraft is currently scheduled for release on May 25, 2019.
