The long-troubled production of a Minecraft movie looks to finally be underway, with a report from film industry outlet Productionlist saying that it’s scheduled to start principal photography—that is, start making the movie proper—on August 7th, 2023 in New Zealand.
The film will be directed by Napoleon Dynamite and Masterminds director Jared Hess. Perhaps more surprising is that it’ll star Jason Momoa, though we don’t know as who, with other rumors saying that Pedro Pascal will star as Steve. Supposedly very funny man Matt Berry, of TV series Toast of London and What We Do in The Shadows, will also make an appearance.
That’s right though, folks: Joel from The Last of Us, aka The Mandalorian, could also be Minecraft Steve. Talk about multiverse movie potential right there.
We don’t know the plot of this film adaptation, though many outlets are reporting the plot to be that of one of the two earlier, cancelled attempts at a Minecraft movie. I expect at the very least a repeating jumpscare gag involving the hissing noise of a Creeper about to explode.
Not that Minecraft really has a plot in the first place, which is probably why it has been so hard for these people to agree on what the movie should be about. The first attempt at a Minecraft movie started in 2014 at Warner Bros with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Rob McElhenney, but by 2018 had completely fizzled out. There was then an attempt helmed by Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist director Peter Sollett, but that one was canned by 2020.
Warner Brothers will, supposedly, release this version of the Minecraft movie on April 4th, 2025.