When we last reported on the Minecraft movie back in February, we learned from producer Roy Lee told us that the tagline was, “part of a multiverse where humans can enter that has the feel of what the live action version of a Minecraft experience,” and that writer-director Rob McElhenney was shooting for the same audience as Jurassic World. Lee also told us about the project:

The company, Mojang, is very involved in the development. So they know everything is going to be in the movie that can give us insight into future updates so we can put things into the movie around the same time they relaunch newer versions of the game and at the same time, potentially taking ideas from the movie and putting them into the game. So I don’t know exactly what things are going into the game, but they know exactly what’s going into the movie.

For those who are unfamiliar with the wildly popular video game, it’s like digital LEGO. You can build just about anything and let your imagination run wild, which is a tall order for a film adaptation.


However, I’m eager to see what McElhenney can put together, especially now that he has a release date. According to Deadline, Minecraft is slated to open in 3D and IMAX on May 24, 2019. Right now, that date is so far away that there’s currently no competition scheduled. The closest competitors it has right now is Avengers: Infinity War – Part II, which opens May 3rd and then on June 14th there’s Justice League: Part Two, so it’s sandwiched between two of the biggest superhero movies around.

And yet I’m not really worried about Minecraft. It’s a phenomenally successful game with a huge built in audience of devoted younger players. It’s not a Warcraft situation where the players are jaded adults. These are wide-eyed kids who will likely gobble up anything with Minecraft tacked onto it, and they’re going to get their movie just as school is letting out for the summer.

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Image via Telltale