Minecraft is one of the most successful and influential games of the early 21st century, has won many awards and has sold over 300 million copies (so far) since its release in 2011. So it was only a matter of time before Hollywood presented us with a feature film based on the 3D sandbox game with the simple title A Minecraft movie. Sure, you might have reservations about another movie based on a video game, but the upside is that Jason Momoa and Jack Black are in supporting roles. And the first teaser is full of gorgeous, candy-colored cubic imagery and clever nods to the game that fans should enjoy.

Within one year of MinecraftWhen The 4000 was first released, Mojang Studios received offers from Hollywood producers to make a TV series based on the game, but the company wanted to wait for “the right idea.” In 2014, there was an attempt to produce a fan film through crowdsourcing, but game developer Markus “Notch” Persson was unwilling to license this project because he was already in negotiations with Warner Bros. to produce a film based on the game. Thus began a long, complicated process in which directors and writers were hired and then left the project for various reasons.

When the dust finally settled, Jared Hess (who worked with Black on Nacho Libre) ended up directing. The COVID pandemic and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike delayed things further, but filming wrapped earlier this year in Auckland, New Zealand – just in time for a spring 2025 theatrical release. According to the official synopsis:

Welcome to the world of Minecraft, where creativity doesn’t just help you craft, it’s essential for survival! Four outsiders – Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers), and Dawn (Danielle Brooks) – are struggling with everyday problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal to the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on fantasy. To get back home, they must master this world (and also protect it from evil things like piglins and zombies) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, skilled craftsman, Steve (Jack Black). Their adventure together will challenge all five to be brave and reconnect with the traits that make each of them uniquely creative… the very skills they need to survive in the real world again.

Players will recognize Steve as one of the standard characters in MinecraftSet to The Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour,” the teaser begins with our misfits stumbling upon a fantastical, Tolkien-esque landscape – only with a lot more cube-like shapes, like a pink sheep with a cube-shaped head. We get the aforementioned Piglins and other creatures before Black shows up and dramatically announces with great fanfare, “I… am Steve.” Honestly, we’ll probably watch the film for Black’s performance alone.

A Minecraft movie will be released in April 2025.

Listing image from YouTube/Warner Bros.