Minecraft movie locks in May 2019 release date

A cinematic adaptation of video game sensation Minecraft has set a release date of May 24, 2019, with 3D and IMAX versions also supported.

Vu Bui, who is COO of Mojang, the game studio behind Minecraft, made the announcement in a June 27 blog post. "Yes, that might seem like a long time away, but it just so happens to be the right amount of time to make it completely awesome. And we all want an awesome Minecraft movie, right?" he wrote. "Minecraft," a procedurally-generated crafting and survival adventure, first emerged in 2009 and has since become a defining video game experience for a generation.

Spreading from PC to mobile and console, the game has sold over 100 million copies in the seven years since; in terms of all time best-sellers, only "Tetris" surpasses it.

Warner Bros. Pictures became the movie's studio in 2014. Rob McElhenney, the writer, actor and director most well known for his TV series, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," will make his feature-length directorial direct.