Minecraft movie gets 2019 release date

Warner Bros. isn't preparing to shy away from a fight. The studio announced today that it was setting its upcoming Minecraft feature-film adaptation for May 25, 2019, the the same weekend as Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Episode IX only a few weeks after Marvel's Infinity War.

Although the film's release is still three years away, it's already encountered a few problems. The film's original director, Shawn Levy, left the project in 2014 after his idea for a Goonies-inspired movie was shot down by executives at Warner Bros. Last July, Mojang (the developer behind the game) announced that Warner Bros. had found a new director in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney. The comedian, best known for his role as Mac on FX's longtime running sitcom, tweeted out that he was excited to do something "strange and wonderful" with the film.

Marvel's Infinity War, the first of a two-parter, will bring back the Avengers once again as they get closer to taking down Thanos. The film is set to be directed by the Russo Brothers, who worked on Captain America: Winter Solider and Captain America: Civil War. Star Wars: Episode IX, the last in the new trilogy, will be directed by Colin Trevorrow, best known for his work on Jurassic World.

Minecraft has sold more than 100 million copies since the game launched in 2009.