Plans for a Minecraft film[2] adaptation were announced in February 2014 when creator Markus Persson revealed that Mojang was in talks with Warner Bros. Pictures to develop the project, with Roy Lee and Jill Messick producing. During development, filmmakers Shawn Levy, Rob McElhenney, and Peter Sollett, were initially hired to direct, while writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney, Jason Fuchs, Aaron and Adam Nee, and Allison Schroeder, were attached. In April 2022, Legendary Entertainment became involved, with Hess hired as the new director and Momoa in talks to star. Further casting took place from May 2023 to January 2024. Principal photography began later that month in New Zealand and concluded in mid-April 2024. An official teaser, which revealed look of the film and its title, was released on September 4, 2024.
A Minecraft Movie is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on April 4, 2025.
Premise
Four misfits – Garrett "The Garbage Man" Garrison (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks) – find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like piglins and zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Jack Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.
In 2012, Mojang Studios received offers from Hollywood producers who wanted to produce Minecraft-related television series. However, Mojang stated they would only engage in such projects when "the right idea comes along".[12] Two years later, in February 2014, an attempt to crowdfund a fan film through Kickstarter was shut down after Markus "Notch" Persson declined to let the filmmakers use the license, the given reason being that the Kickstarter was set up before any agreement with Mojang had been made.[13][14] That same month, Persson revealed that Mojang was in talks with Warner Bros. Pictures to develop an official Minecraft film to be produced by Roy Lee and Jill Messick.[15][16] In October 2014, Mojang CCO Vu Bui stated that the movie was "in its early days of development", saying that it was a "large-budget" production, and also said that it might not be released until 2018.[17][18] That same month, Warner Bros. hired Shawn Levy to direct the film,[19] while in December, it was confirmed that Levy and writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney, who were developing the film together had left the project.[20]
In July 2015, it was announced that Warner Bros. had hired Rob McElhenney to direct the film. According to McElhenney, he had been drawn to the film based on the open-world nature of the game, an idea Warner Bros. had initially agreed with and for which they had provided him with a preliminary US$150 million budget.[21][22] In 2016, early production started on the film, including in June assigning a release date of May 24, 2019,[23] in October setting Jason Fuchs to write the script,[24] and in November contracting Steve Carell to star as the voice of an unknown character.[25] McElhenney's Minecraft film "slowly died on the vine", and due to scheduling conflicts, he left the film in August 2018.[26]Aaron and Adam Nee were tapped to rewrite the script and the film was delayed as a result. No new director was announced at that time.[27]
In January 2019, Peter Sollett was announced to write and direct the film, featuring an entirely different story from McElhenney's version. Messick, who died in 2018, will be posthumously credited as producer.[28] In April 2019, Warner Bros. scheduled the new film to be released in theaters on March 4, 2022.[29][30] In June 2019, Allison Schroeder was hired to write the script and co-write the story with Sollett.[31] In October 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Warner Bros. to adjust its release schedule, including removing the Minecraft film from its planned release date.[32]
In April 2022, production on the Minecraft film was announced to be moving forward without Sollett and Schroeder, now with Jared Hess set to direct, Legendary Entertainment to co-produce (through its executive Mary Parent) and Jason Momoa in early talks to star. The film was also confirmed to be live action.[33] It was also reported that Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer, who colabborated with Hess on Masterminds (2016), would rewrite the script.[34][35] In early April 2023, it was reported that the film would release on April 4, 2025.[36][37] After developing a separate project with Legendary that never materialized, Hess was invited by the studio to pitch a take for the film.[38] He enjoyed the task of "trying to adapt something that doesn’t have a story — it’s an open sandbox game", hoping to find an opportunity for a "fun, ridiculous movie."[38]
On June 19, 2023, it was reported that principal photography on the film would start on August 7 in New Zealand,[40] before filming was delayed in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[41] Following the conclusion of the strike in early November 2023, filming was reported to be aiming for an early 2024 start.[42] With the announcement of Brooks and Hansen as part of the cast, filming was scheduled to begin in late December 2023.[7] Filming had begun by mid-January 2024 in Auckland and ended in mid-April, with Grant Major serving as the production designer,[43] and Enrique Chediak serving as the cinematographer.[44] In September 2024, YouTuber Valkyrae, who is set to appear in the movie, accused Jason Momoa of mistreating members of the production crew after filming a "very emotional scene".[45]
On September 4, 2024, the film's first teaser, set to The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour", was released. Audience reactions to the teaser were noted as "divisive"[48][49] or "generally negative", with criticism for the CGI, character designs, and live-action nature of the film.[50][51][52]The Verge said that besides its "unsettling imagery", it "looks like some silly family fun".[53]TechRadar could not decide whether it was "drop-dead gorgeous or the stuff of nightmares".[54] Conversely, Markus Persson, the original creator of Minecraft, praised the trailer on Twitter, saying "Ok i'm in[.] Wow this is a weird feeling."[55] Various clips and images from the trailer, such as a bleating pink sheep, a white llama, and Jack Black as Steve saying "I...am Steve", were notably ridiculed and became Internet memes.[49]
Release
A Minecraft Movie is set to be released theatrically in IMAX in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on April 4, 2025.[b] Initially it was scheduled to be released on May 24, 2019,[23] but on April 26, 2019, Warner Bros. delayed the film to March 4, 2022.[29][30] On October 6, 2020, Warner Bros. removed the film from the release schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to avoid direct competition with The Batman (2022).[32] On April 5, 2023, after being undated for over two years, the film was given its current release date.[37][57]
