Minecraft (film)

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, 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;  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.

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". 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. 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. 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. That same month, Warner Bros. hired Shawn Levy to direct the film, while in December, it was confirmed that Levy and writers Kieran and Michele Mulroney, who were developing the film together had left the project.

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. In 2016, early production started on the film, including in June assigning a release date of May 24, 2019, in October setting Jason Fuchs to write the script, and in November contracting Steve Carell to star as the voice of an unknown character. McElhenney's Minecraft film "slowly died on the vine", and due to scheduling conflicts, he left the film in August 2018. 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.

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. In April 2019, Warner Bros. scheduled the new film to be released in theaters on March 4, 2022. In June 2019, Allison Schroeder was hired to write the script and co-write the story with Sollett. 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.

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. It was also reported that Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer would rewrite the script. In early April 2023, it was reported that the film would release on April 4, 2025.

Casting
In May 2023, Matt Berry entered negotiations to join the cast. Later, in November, Danielle Brooks and Sebastian Eugene Hansen joined the cast. In December, Emma Myers also joined the cast. In January 2024, Jack Black joined the cast, teasing his casting in the film via his official Instagram account, as well as Jennifer Coolidge, Kate McKinnon, and Jemaine Clement in undisclosed roles.

Filming
On June 19, 2023, it was reported that principal photography on the film would start on August 7 in New Zealand, before filming was delayed in July due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Following the conclusion of the strike in early November 2023, filming was reported to be aiming for an early 2024 start. With the announcement of Brooks and Hansen as part of the cast, filming was scheduled to begin in late December 2023. Filming had begun by mid-January 2024 in Auckland and ended in mid-April, with Grant Major serving as the production designer.

Release
Minecraft is set to be released theatrically in IMAX in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on April 4, 2025. Initially it was scheduled to be released on May 24, 2019, but on April 26, 2019, Warner Bros. delayed the film to March 4, 2022. 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.