Jason Momoa slated for shock lead role in Minecraft movie

Dune and Justice League star Jason Momoa is reportedly in talks for the leading role in a live-action Minecraft movie which Warner Bros. hopes will turn into a feature franchise.

Momoa is in final negotiations with Warner for what’s expected to be the starring role in its Minecraft project, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Jared Hess, director of Napoleon Dynamite, is now set to direct the film as it looks for its cast.

The news of Momoa’s involvement instantly brought up the possibility of him playing Minecraft’s main protagonist Steve, but it’s unclear how much of the production will take cues on the video game.

What is known is that Mojang’s Lydia Winters and Vu Bui will work as producers alongside Dune’s Mary Parent and Roy Lee.

Depending how Minecraft performs, Warner Bros. could move to make the video game adaptation the first of a series of films.

That would bolster the studio’s lineup of major adaptations like its grasp on DC Comic properties, namely Wonder Woman, Shazam, Justice League, and more.

This will also be what Warner Bros. hopes to be its entry into the popular video game adaption trend that has already produced massive projects like Sonic the Hedgehog and Paramount’s Halo TV series.

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As for Momoa, should Minecraft take off, this could be his next major franchise following his role as Aquaman and coming off Denis Villeneuve’s Dune.

Warner Bros. has been working on a Minecraft project for years, with developers Mojang at one time expecting a March 4, 2022 release date.

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It’s not known how much of the game’s events will play a part in a Minecraft feature film project so we’ll just have to wait and see what Warner Bros. conconts for their new leading man.