(Updated 09/04/2024)
Any parent with children older than four or five is probably familiar with the video game "Minecraft." (If you don't know the game, it allows players to build entire worlds out of blocks, and it is unusually addictive.) The fervor with which those kids (and millions of other players) approach the game tells you why a MINECRAFT movie has been on the minds of producers for a long time. Really, the only surprising thing about the movie is that it took so long to make.
Now, after years of development and a lot of different creative directions, A MINECRAFT MOVIE is in post-production. It has a couple of big names in starring roles, and there's even a trailer. Here’s everything you need to know about A MINECRAFT MOVIE.
What's the Minecraft Movie Release Date?
A MINECRAFT MOVIE will be released in theaters on April 4, 2025.
Watch the First Trailer for A Minecraft Movie
The first trailer for A MINECRAFT MOVIE has been released, and it answers some questions fans have long asked about the movie. It looks like the film is structured with a setup similar to that of JUMANJI, in which a group of regular people are pulled into the game world.
Who Stars in Minecraft?
The somewhat surprising star of MINECRAFT is Jason Momoa. The burly, long-haired AQUAMAN star is not who we expected to see toplining this movie. As the trailer shows, he plays a character who is very much not his usual type. He's one of the humans who ends up in Minecraft's blocky digital works. His character, Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, explores alongside Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen of JUST MERCY), Natalie (Emma Myers of "Wednesday”) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks of THE COLOR PURPLE).
They meet the expert crafter, Steve (Jack Black) and also run across characters played by Jennifer Coolidge, Kate McKinnon, and Jemaine Clement.
A Minecraft Movie Will Not Be (Entirely) Animated
It's easy to assume that the block-building game would lend itself to animated storytelling, and that is certainly true. But one thing we have known about A MINECRAFT MOVIE for a while is that it will be live-action. The trailer bears this out, but it also makes clear that the line between live-action and animation is somewhat blurry here. The main characters are clearly live-action but the world in which they exist is primarily animated — it's not like the cast is running around in fields of foam blocks!
The Director of Minecraft
The man behind the camera for MINECRAFT is also a surprising choice. The director is Jared Hess, who broke out with NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, and has since made movies like NACHO LIBRE and MASTERMINDS.
Now, as to what he'll do with the movie, it's pretty much like all the other aspects at this point. We don't know! But we are just as curious as you are to find out.
MINECRAFT opens on April 4, 2025.
All images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.