Minecraft

For years we have heard that a live-action Minecraft movie is coming. Fans of the best-selling video game of all time have been patient as the Warner Bros. project has gone through numerous writers, directors, and even actors without a definite word as to when the film will not only premiere but even start production. So, today we ask the question everyone would like an answer to – where is Minecraft: The Movie?

Survival Mode and Creative Mode. Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. Ender Dragons, the Nether, Bed Wars, Mobs, Redstone, and Crafting. These are a number of the nearly limitless aspects or pieces of Minecraft, one of the most popular video games ever created.

The game itself can be incredibly simple and yet, at the same time, can also be incredibly complex, offering users the chance to take the game in any direction they see fit. There’s a reason it appeals to such a wide range of people, from young children all the way to adults. So, what is the plan to take the biggest-selling video game and turn it into Minecraft: The Movie?

Jared Hess Will Direct Minecraft: The Movie

We have to go all the way back to 2014 when news of a Minecraft movie first started making the rounds. Minecraft: The Movie has had a number of different names attached. Originally, Warner Bros. approached Mojang, the game’s owner with Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Deadpool 3) attached to direct and Jason Fuchs on the script.

When Levy explained to Mojang his take on a Minecraft movie, they eventually told him it was not a direction they felt the movie should go.

He explained to the Wall Street Journal in an interview at the time saying, “What happened was, Warner’s asked me to develop how might this ever be a story for a movie because it’s a non-narrative game. We came up with an approach to the game that felt good to us, and I discussed it with Mojang…and they were like, ‘That doesn’t sound like what we want, if we are going to see a movie get made, we don’t know what we want, but that doesn’t feel right.”

When asked what exactly his Minecraft movie was about, Levy first stated he isn’t supposed to be talking about his rejected idea for the potential film, but he did say that his idea had a Goonies flavor to it. He said it was “not a comedy…it was an adventure movie and I thought it could have been a lot of fun.”

Then in 2016, Steve Carrell was circling the movie with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator and star Rob McElhenney apparently on board as well. But those two fell through with McElhenney specifically saying that Warner Bros. disagreed with the direction he was taking with Minecraft: The Movie.

He said his version would have focused on characters having “agency over their experience in this digital landscape.” McElhenney went on to work on his own video game-based show in Mythic Quest. 

More recently, Peter Sollett was brought on to direct Minecraft: The Movie from a script he also penned. Sollett has done a lot of television work in recent years but is probably best known for directing 2008’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. 

The announcement of Sollett didn’t last long because the latest word from Minecraft: The Movie production is that Jared Hess will now be sitting in the director’s chair. Hess is known for directing episodes of TV shows like Son of Zorn and The Last Man on Earth as well as the popular feature films Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre.

Jason Momoa is on Board for Minecraft: The Movie

Another big Minecraft: The Movie announcement came when Aquaman’s Jason Momoa signed on to star in the live-action film. It is unknown who Momoa will be playing. So far, even with the long delays in the start of production, Momoa appears to still be attached to the film.

The Plot Of The Movie

Although it has not yet been announced who Momoa will play, the prevailing thought is that he will play Gabriel the Warrior character from the spin-off adventure game, Minecraft: Story Mode. The original game itself has a very distinct look to it with its blocky visuals but it is unknown just how much that will play in the film, if at all.

Video games-turned-movies have been very much a hit-and-miss proposition, mainly big-time misses. For every decent video game movie (Werewolves Within, Sonic the Hedgehog 2) there are four bad ones (Assassin’s Creed, Warcraft, Need for Speed, Wing Commander, Double Dragon, and of course, Alone in the Dark).

Minecraft: The Movie might have the heaviest lift of them at all when it comes to merging “real life” with a game that is decidedly different from the realism we generally associate with modern video games. And maybe that’s why the “best” video game movie adaptations like Angry Birds stuck solely to animation or Pokemon Detective Pikachu brought only a few minor aspects of the game to the screen.

With all the changes the production team has seen over the years, it could easily speak to just how difficult it has been to get the concept just right for Minecraft: The Movie. Hopefully, though, with all the turnover, they have finally found something that works and is ready to move forward with it.

With all that said, what could Minecraft: The Movie’s plot entail? Prior to all the changes and announcement that Momoa is joining the production, there was a synopsis that has since been deleted. According to that synopsis, the story was said to follow a “teenage girl and her unlikely group of adventurers. After the malevolent Ender Dragon sets out on a path of destruction, they must save their beautiful, blocky Overworld.” How much, if any, of that synopsis has moved forward is anyone’s guess.

There Is No Minecraft: The Movie Release Date

Well, since a possible Minecraft: The Movie production start date has yet to be announced, we still don’t have a clue when the film is expected to premiere.

At one time there actually was a release date, March 4, 2022, but that day has long come and gone. Since we are already a third of the way through 2023, it’s probably best not to expect Minecraft: The Movie until at least late 2024 or early 2025.

Minecraft Is A Wildly Popular Sandbox Video Game

If you don’t already know what Minecraft is and you’re reading an article on Minecraft: The Movie, it’s probably because your kids play it. It’s one of the most popular video games of all time. So here’s what you need to know.

Minecraft is a sandbox video game that, in its original iteration, drops a character into a landscape and has them build, create, find resources, fight intruders (mobs), and ultimately survive. Sandbox-style games refer to those in which creativity is often at the center of the gameplay rather than a specific quest or mission. As the game has grown and expanded different versions and add-ons have introduced more elements to the game. But at its core, Minecraft is a game that allows the user to explore, transform, or create in the world as they see fit. 

Developed by Mojang, Minecraft eventually sold its intellectual property rights to Microsoft for a cool $2.5 billion. It’s the best-selling video game of all time and for good reason. The game is nearly limitless with its world-creating options, letting users essentially take the game in a number of directions. 

And for those who maybe haven’t played the game, they probably will have seen the Minecraft-style character before. This blocky style is a signature of the game and may be what it’s best known for. Whether that style will show up in Minecraft: The Movie remains to be seen.