The rumors that the video game Minecraft is set to become a movie have been confirmed.
Minecraft creator Markus "Notch Persson confirmed the rumors in a tweet on Thursday, saying he will be working on the film with Warner Bros., according to The Guardian.
"Someone is trying to leak the fact that we're working with Warner Brothers on a potential Minecraft Movie," Persson wrote. "I want to be the leak!"
The news of the film was revealed by film blog Deadline Hollywood, which stated Warner Bros. bought the rights to the film and is already planning a tie-in live action film, The Guardian reported. Deadline Hollywood also said Roy Lee, the producer of the box office hit Lego Movie, and his company, Vertigo Entertainment, will be working on the film.
Persson told Polygon in an email that his tweet was not a joke and that the film is actually being made, according to CNET.
"It's for real," Persson said. "I think every part of that tweet was real, including me wanting to be the one to spill the news about the potential movie. It would be nice to tell people when it's 100 percent solid rather than to leak it before it's completely final, but our hands were a bit tied and rushed here."
Minecraft was first released in 2009 as an indie project, but ended up becoming a huge game played around the world, The Guardian reported. The game has been described as a digital lego set in which players can explore an open world and build anything they wish, such as spaceships and castles, with a variety of materials. The game was originally released for the PC, but it is now available on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles as well. Versions for future consoles are currently in development.
Persson said a deal for the movie is in progress and that his studio, Mojang, will have a portion of creative control over the film, according to The Guardian.
"I wish I knew what was secret," Persson said. "But I can tell you that signing a 'do whatever you want to this IP' movie rights deal doesn't seem like something Mojang would do."
