Key Takeaways
- The Minecraft film boasts impressive sets and props, and is not entirely reliant on CGI.
- Creator involvement is significant, with recognizable stars being added to the cast.
- The team behind the film aims to deliver their version of a Minecraft story in live action, seeking to please die-hard fans.
Fans of Minecraft excited about the upcoming film adaptation got an exciting new look this week. Other than some updates about Lego sets, things had been quiet on that front up until now.
A Minecraft Movie has been in and out of development since 2014. Several big names have been involved with the project, with Shawn Levy attached to direct at one point and Steve Carell to potentially star at another. Finally, in 2022, Warner Bros. announced that the film would finally be moving forward with Jason Mamoa set to star. The cast steadily added more and more recognizable names, like Jack Black as iconic Minecraft protagonist ‘Steve’ and Jennifer Coolidge in an as yet unknown role. Something reassuring is how heavily the creators of Minecraft the game seem to be involved in the making of A Minecraft Movie.
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This week, the official Minecraft YouTube posted a video giving fans a closer look behind the scenes of the film. It boasts impressive sets and props, as well as gives the audience a glimpse of what the bad guys– referred to in-game as ‘mobs’– look like. Many will likely be relieved to find out it’s not entirely reliant on CGI, although valid concerns about the inhabitants of the Minecraft world being too realistic in an unsettling way. In addition, it provided a little more insight into some of the film’s main characters. Steve’s portrayal in this project seems to be goofier than some might expect, which makes sense given who’s playing him. Mamoa plays Garrett Garrison, a washed up has-been who achieved minor fame for breaking a gaming record at an early age and never let go of it. Henry, played by Sebastian Eugene Hansen, is described as being like a game modder.
In the video, director Jared Hess points out the intentionality behind the choice to call the film ‘a’ Minecraft movie, not ‘the’ Minecraft movie. He and the team wanted to tell their version of what a Minecraft story could look like in live action, not the definitive version. There are definitely some differences from the source material, but that is somewhat to be expected from this kind of adaptation. It seems there are hopes for several more stories from this universe being brought to the big screen, with lots of different people telling them. Whether or not that vision comes to pass, though, remains to be seen. It will likely depend on the success of this film.
Minecraft is a global phenomenon, and has been for over a decade now. Naturally, there is a lot of pressure to get it right and not disappoint the game’s die-hard fans. Luckily, the people behind the film do seem to grasp the responsibility they’ve taken on, despite some fan concerns following the initial trailer. The video featured some popular streamers– including DanTDM, LDShadowLady, and Mumbo Jumbo, among others– and highlighted the fact that they gave their input during filming. Hopefully, A Minecraft Movie turns out to be the love letter to the game and its fans that it set out to be.
A Minecraft Movie will release in theaters on April 4, 2025.
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Source: Minecraft/YouTube