In case you somehow forgot, a Minecraft movie is in the pipeline over at Legendary Pictures; a movie that’s sure to be the cinematic highwire development of the next year or so.
The prospect of this movie sticking the landing is equally as fascinating as imagining just how poorly things have the potential to go, which begs the question: How does one possibly approach a Minecraft movie?
Whatever that way is, producer Jon Berg has all the faith in the world that the Minecraft movie will not only inspire people but will also honor the wildly popular video game the way it deserves, according to a recent interview with Screen Rant.
That’s going to be an amazing movie, that’s going to be an amazing movie. We have all the resources. It’s a big Warner Brothers spectacular… I think it’s going to inspire people. Minecraft’s such a cool game. My kids played it; I played it, it’s going to be true to the game. And Jared Hess directing is going to do an awesome job.
Now, I’m not even going to try to parse the nuances of how the Minecraft movie could inspire audiences, but let’s break down what “true to the game” could possibly mean.
Anyone with even a passing familiarity with Minecraft‘s existence knows that the game doesn’t really have anything in the way of a plot or narrative. On top of that, the game on its own has incredibly marginal expression once you take out the element of a player who wants to build things.
In saying that, a movie ideally exists for its own expression first and foremost, and when your source material relies on an active, tactile participant for that expression to functionally exist, then it’s hard to say how a Minecraft film could be true to the game, since there’s not a whole lot to be true to.
That’s no reason to pile on reservations, though; there are more than enough directions that the Minecraft film could go if it’s interested in being a boon for creativity. Perhaps an entirely original expression, essence, or theme will be dreamed up to give narrative life to the otherwise empty source material (The Lego Movie, anyone?), or maybe Berg means that the film will chiefly play with the Minecraft experience while the textual aspects serve as set dressing and beat tissue (à la Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves).
Could it also just end up being a soulless piece of fan service? Yes, it absolutely could, but that’s not the outcome we’re hoping for here, because when a movie is good—especially when it could be bad—that’s a win for everybody.
Minecraft is set to hit theaters on April 4, 2025.
(featured image: Mojang)
