Minecraft (film)
Minecraft | |
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Directed by | Jared Hess |
Screenplay by |
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Based on | Minecraft by Markus Persson |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Minecraft is an upcoming American adventure film based on the 2011 video game of the same name by Mojang Studios. Produced by Legendary Pictures, Mojang, and Vertigo Entertainment, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is being directed by Jared Hess, from a screenplay written by Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer, and produced by Jill Messick,[a] Lydia Winters, Mary Parent, Jon Berg, Vu Bui, Jason Momoa, Cale Boyter, Roy Lee, and Torfi Frans Olafsson. The film stars Jack Black and Momoa;[1][2][3] other cast members include Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, Jennifer Coolidge, Kate McKinnon, and Jemaine Clement.
Plans for a Minecraft film adaptation were announced in February 2014 when Minecraft creator Markus Persson revealed that Mojang was in talks with Warner Bros. to develop the project, with Lee and Messick producing. During development, filmmakers Shawn Levy and Rob McElhenney were initially hired to direct, while writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney, Jason Fuchs, and Aaron and Adam Nee were attached. Peter Sollett was hired to write and direct the film in 2019, along with Allison Schroeder co-writing, but both left the project in 2022, 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 in mid-January 2024 in New Zealand, and wrapped in mid-April 2024.
Minecraft is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on April 4, 2025.[4][5]
Cast
- Jack Black as Steve[6][2][3]
- Jason Momoa[1]
- Danielle Brooks as Dawn[7]
- Sebastian Eugene Hansen as Henry[7]
- Emma Myers[8]
- Jennifer Coolidge[9]
- Kate McKinnon[10]
- Jemaine Clement[10]
Production
Development
In 2012, Mojang received offers from Hollywood producers who wanted to produce Minecraft-related TV shows; however, Mojang stated they would only engage in such projects when "the right idea comes along".[11] 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.[12][13] 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.[14][15] In October 2014, Mojang COO 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.[16][17] That same month, Warner Bros. hired Shawn Levy to direct the film,[18] while in December, it was confirmed that Levy and writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney, who were developing the film together had left the project.[19]
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.[20][21] In 2016, early production started on the film, including in June assigning a release date of May 24, 2019,[22] in October setting Jason Fuchs to write the script,[23] and in November contracting Steve Carell to star as the voice of an unknown character.[24] McElhenney's Minecraft film "slowly died on the vine", and due to scheduling conflicts, he left the film in August 2018.[25] 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.[26]
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.[27] In April 2019, Warner Bros. scheduled the new film to be released in theaters on March 4, 2022.[28][29] In June 2019, Allison Schroeder was hired to write the script and co-write the story with Sollett.[30] 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.[31]
Sollett instead directed Metal Lords, which was released exclusively on Netflix in April 2022. That same month, production on the Minecraft film was announced to be moving forward without Sollett and Schroeder, now with Jared Hess set to direct and Jason Momoa in early talks to star. The film was also confirmed to be live action.[1] It was also reported that Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer would rewrite the script.[2][3] In early April 2023, it was reported that the film would release on April 4, 2025.[4][5]
Casting
In May 2023, Matt Berry entered negotiations to join the cast.[32] Later, in November, Danielle Brooks and Sebastian Eugene Hansen joined the cast.[7] In December, Emma Myers also joined the cast.[8] In January 2024, Jack Black joined the cast, teasing his casting in the film via his official Instagram account,[33][6] as well as Jennifer Coolidge, Kate McKinnon, and Jemaine Clement in undisclosed roles.[9][10]
Filming
On June 19, 2023, it was reported that principal photography on the film would start on August 7 in New Zealand,[34] before filming was delayed in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[35] Following the conclusion of the strike in early November 2023, filming was reported to be aiming for an early 2024 start.[36] 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.[37]
Release
Minecraft is set to be released theatrically in IMAX in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on April 4, 2025.[4][5][26][38] Initially it was scheduled to be released on May 24, 2019,[22] but on April 26, 2019, Warner Bros. delayed the film to March 4, 2022.[28][29] On October 6, 2020, Warner Bros. removed the film from the release schedule to avoid direct competition with The Batman (2022) and the COVID-19 pandemic before being rescheduled for its current release date.[31]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b c Couch, Aaron (April 18, 2022). "Minecraft Movie to Star Jason Momoa". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ a b c Grobar, Matt (April 18, 2022). "Jason Momoa In Talks To Star In 'Minecraft' Movie At Warner Bros". Deadline. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ a b c Forristal, Lauren (April 19, 2022). "HBO Max backs 'Minecraft' movie with 'Aquaman' star Jason Momoa". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
- ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 5, 2023). "'Aquaman 2' Going Earlier, 'Minecraft', "Wise Guys" Get Release Dates". Deadline. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c McClintock, Pamela (April 5, 2023). "Jason Momoa's 'Minecraft' Lands April 2025 Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 2, 2024). "Jack Black Levels Up For 'Minecraft' At Warner Bros – The Dish". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c d D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 30, 2023). "'Minecraft': Warner Bros. Movie Adds Danielle Brooks & Sebastian Eugene Hansen". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 6, 2023). "'Minecraft': 'Wednesday' Star Emma Myers Digs Into Warner Bros Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 17, 2024). "'Minecraft' Movie Finds Gem In Jennifer Coolidge". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 18, 2024). "'Minecraft' Adds Kate McKinnon, Jemaine Clement to Jason Momoa Movie". Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ Nunneley, Stephany (March 24, 2012). "Minecraft hits $80M in sales with over 5M paid downloads". VG247. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
- ^ Macy, Seth G (February 7, 2014). "Minecraft Movie 'The Birth of Man' Nixed by Notch". IGN. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (February 10, 2014). "Minecraft-inspired movie shut down". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
- ^ Nutt, Christian (February 27, 2014). "Minecraft movie in the works with Warner Bros". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ^ Busch, Anita (February 27, 2014). "Video Game Sensation 'Minecraft' Coming To The Big Screen As Warner Bros Acquires Rights; 'Lego's' Roy Lee And Jill Messick Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ^ Makuch, Eddie (October 8, 2014). "Minecraft Movie Is "Large-Budget," Might Not Arrive Until 2018". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ^ Dredge, Stuart (October 9, 2014). "Minecraft movie will be 'large-budget' but unlikely to arrive before 2017". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 16, 2014). "Shawn Levy Boards 'Minecraft' Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (December 9, 2014). "Shawn Levy Leaves Warner Bros.' 'Minecraft' Film". Variety. Archived from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- ^ Bui, Vu (July 21, 2015). "We've chosen a director for the Minecraft movie!". Mojang. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 21, 2015). "Minecraft Movie Gets Director: 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia's Rob McElhenney". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ^ a b Galuppo, Mia (June 27, 2016). "Warner Bros.' 'Minecraft' Movie Gets Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 28, 2016.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (October 13, 2016). "'Wonder Woman' Scribe Jason Fuchs to Write Latest Draft of 'Minecraft' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on October 17, 2016.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (November 15, 2016). "Steve Carell in Talks to Join 'Minecraft' Movie at Warner Bros. (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ Gera, Emily (February 24, 2020). "Always Sunny's Rob McElhenney explains what went wrong for his $150 Million Minecraft movie". VG247. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ a b Umberto Gonzalez; Tony Maglio (August 3, 2018). "'Minecraft' Movie Delayed: Rob McElhenney Out as Director, Nee Brothers Tapped to Write (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 4, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (January 11, 2019). "Peter Sollett to Direct Warner Bros.' 'Minecraft' Movie (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ a b D'Anastasio, Cecilia (April 16, 2019). "On March 4, 2022, Warner Bros. and Mojang will be releasing a Minecraft movie". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- ^ a b "The Minecraft Movie Is Just Around The Corner". Minecraft.net. April 16, 2019. Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
- ^ Borys Kit (June 24, 2019). "'Frozen 2' Writer Allison Schroeder Tackling 'Minecraft' Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 5, 2020). "Dune Drifting Away From December to October 2021". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (May 23, 2023). "Matt Berry In Talks To Join Jason Momoa In Warner Bros' Minecraft". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (January 2, 2024). "Jack Black Cast in "Minecraft" Movie". Variety.
- ^ Watel, Stephanie (June 20, 2023). "Live-Action Minecraft Movie to Start Filming in August". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ Earl, William (July 14, 2023). "All the TV Shows and Movies Affected by the SAG Actors Strike (Updating)". Variety. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Kroll, Justin (November 8, 2023). "Actors Strike Over: 'Deadpool', 'Gladiator', 'Beetlejuice 2', 'Venom' Sequels Resume Filming". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ P. Means, Sean (January 15, 2024). "What happened after 'Napoleon Dynamite' — and the big movie its Utah filmmakers are making next". The Salt Lake Tribune. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024.
- ^ "IMAX and Warner Bros. Extend Deal to Include 12 More Films". ComingSoon.net. October 19, 2016. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
External links
- Upcoming films
- 2025 films
- 2020s adventure films
- 2020s American films
- 2020s English-language films
- American adventure films
- Films affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
- Films directed by Jared Hess
- Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Films produced by Roy Lee
- Films shot in New Zealand
- Legendary Pictures films
- Live-action films based on video games
- Minecraft
- Upcoming English-language films
- Upcoming IMAX films
- Vertigo Entertainment films
- Warner Bros. films
- Works based on Microsoft video games