The big screen version of the hugely popular game Minecraft has been in development for some time, with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob McElhenney announced as director nearly a year ago. The film now has an official release date.

Mojang, the company behind the game, have announced that the movie will hit theaters on May 24, 2019. A statement on their website reads: "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? That's it for now, but as time goes on we'll share loads more. Loads!"

The site also revealed that the film would be released in 3D and IMAX.

In an interview with Collider earlier this year, producer Roy Lee explained that Mojang were heavily involved with the film's development. "They know everything [that] is going to be in the movie, and that can give us insight into future updates," he said. "We can put things into the movie around the same time they relaunch newer versions of the game, and at the same time, potentially taking ideas from the movie and putting them into the game.

"So I don't know exactly what things are going into the game, but they know exactly what's going into the movie."

Lee also hinted at the direction that they were going with the film's story, and gave an indication of its target audience. "Minecraft would be part of a multiverse that humans can enter, that has the feel of a live-action version of a Minecraft experience," he said. "[We're going for] the same target audience as Jurassic World."