We are about a year from filmmaker Jared Hess and his wife and co-writer Jerusha Hess debuting their Minecraft film, but the news is rolling in.
The film has just gained some additions, with comedic actors Jennifer Coolidge, Kate McKinnon, and Jemaine Clement joining the previously announced Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastian Eugene Hansen.
Speaking with The Salt Lake Tribune, Hess gives some insight on production. When reflecting on the challenge of adapting, the filmmaker says, “Trying to adapt something that doesn’t have a story – it’s an open sandbox game…I like the challenge. There’s got to be a fun, ridiculous movie here. And there is.”
He specifically notes that he looked at the backlash that Sonic The Hedgehog got during its first round of pre-production, in which fans named the original VFX model ‘Ugly Sonic’, adding:
“I think anybody that does any IP, they just want to avoid an Ugly Sonic situation. I just can’t disappoint the 10-year-olds, or they’re going to murder us.”
Production began this past December in New Zealand. Grant Major, who worked on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, is the production designer.
Minecraft is slated to release on April 4th, 2025.
