The team behind A Minecraft Movie has confirmed that the film isn’t canon. Minecraft is a sandbox game and, in the Overworld, there isn’t any one singular way to play, which is reportedly reflected in the movie.
“We’re calling it A Minecraft Movie because we’re respecting the fact that there’s no one story that drives the game,” Mary Parent, chairman of worldwide production at production company Legendary Entertainment, told Variety.
“We’re not the official story,” the movie’s director Jared Hess added. “We’re not canonizing anything. We’re just one of a zillion stories.”
A Minecraft Movie follows a group of misfits struggling with everyday issues who find themselves transported to a strange, cubic world. The unlikely team must go on a magical quest if they ever want to get back home – once they’ve got to grips with their surroundings. The cast includes Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Coolidge, Matt Berry, and Jemaine Clement.
The game was first released in 2011 and went on to become the best-selling video game of all time. Warner Bros. boss Jesse Ehrman believes Hess, who’s best known for directing Napoleon Dynamite, can translate that success to the box office.
“Think about somebody who can be funny for young people, but also sophisticated enough for an adult audience,” he told Variety. “Jared is on a really short list. When you think about ‘Napoleon Dynamite,’ that felt cool and edgy and hysterical, but it was still a PG movie.”
A Minecraft Movie hits the big screen on April 4. In the meantime, check out the other upcoming video game movies on the way in 2025 and beyond.