The Minecraft movie: release date, cast, plot and everything else we know

A screenshot from Minecraft showing its main character Steve.
(Image credit: Mojang Studios)

One of the most anticipated movies of 2025 is already on the horizon, with The Minecraft Movie slowly getting new news and information all the time.

The latest pieces of news is that comedy icon Jack Black has teased his involvement in the project, posing with a copy of 'Minecraft for Dummies' in an Instagram post with the comment revealing "an actor prepares". He joins an existing and growing cast list that you can find below.

The Minecraft Movie is, as the name suggests, a big-screen adaptation of the best-selling video game of all time. The project has been confirmed to be in the works, and unlike The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it's set to be live action (instead of animated).

So here's everything we know about The Minecraft Movie right now.

The Minecraft Movie release date

According to a report by Deadline, Minecraft is set to be released on Friday, April 4, 2025 — that'll be one day less than two years to the day since the Mario Bros. Movie released, with Warner Bros. likely using the success of that movie adaptation as a template for its next one.

It's worth noting that this isn't the first release date we've heard for a "Minecraft" adaptation, with versions helmed by different directors slated for 2019 and 2022 release dates, and that means the date could be pushed back if this version falls through too.

A house under attack from zombies in the video game Minecraft

(Image credit: Mojang Studios)

The movie will likely be a theatrical release, given the profile of the game, but it'll likely come to streaming service Max after it has finished in cinemas.

The Minecraft Movie cast

Several stars have been confirmed to star in this version of the Minecraft Movie.

First is Hollywood icon Jason Momoa, who's just starred in Fast X and is also known for playing Aquaman in plenty of DC movies, Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones and Duncan Idaho in Dune.

There's also Jack Black, fresh off his latest video game adaptation The Super Maris Bros. Movie. Do we even need to introduce the man? He's been in plenty of hit comedies like School of Rock, Tropic Thunder, Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny, both recent Jumanji movies, Kung Fu Panda, Nacho Libre, the list goes on.

We also know that British comedy icon Matt Berry will be in the movie, he's been in plenty of hit comedies like Toast of London, The IT Crowd, House of Fools and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace. American audiences likely know him more for his role in the TV adaptation of What We Do in the Shadows and for providing voices for the likes of Disenchantment, The Book of Boba Fett and The SpongeBob Movie

IMDb also lists Pedro Pascal as being attached to the project, but it's not clear where this information is from.

The Minecraft Movie plot

As confirmed by the developers of the "Minecraft" game, the version of The Minecraft Movie that was supposed to release in 2022 was "the story of a teenage girl and her unlikely group of adventurers. After the malevolent Ender Dragon sets out on a path of destruction, they must save their beautiful, blocky Overworld."

An underwater boat in the video game Minecraft

(Image credit: Mojang Studios)

In the world of "Minecraft", the Overworld is the main place where you collect explore, mine, craft, build, fight monsters and more. The Ender Dragon is sometimes considered the boss of the game, and it lives in a separate world called The End that you can only access by finding certain items in the Overworld and building a portal.

It's not clear if the newest version of the movie retains this plot. Since the release of the blog post several spin-off games to "Minecraft" have been released including "Minecraft Dungeons" and "Minecraft Legends" and each has a stronger focus on narrative than the intentionally freeform original game.

Everything else we know about The Minecraft Movie

We've been referring to this upcoming film as The Minecraft Movie but right now, the actual name hasn't been confirmed. It could be this, simply Minecraft, Minecraft the Movie or something else entirely.

The movie is filming in New Zealand, with production due to begin in August 2023. 

Curiously, the movie is set to be live-action with real actors, despite the game "Minecraft" having a distinctive animated look. It could blur animation and live action like The Lego Movie though, especially with the aforementioned plot description referring to the Overworld as 'blocky'.

No images have been released for the movie yet, so this article uses promotional imagery for 'Minecraft' shared by developers Mojang Studios.

Tom Bedford
Streaming and Ecommerce Writer

Tom is the streaming and ecommerce writer at What to Watch, covering streaming services in the US and UK. His goal is to help you navigate the busy and confusing online video market, to help you find the TV, movies and sports that you're looking for without having to spend too much money.