The movie adaptation of Mojang's phenomenon Minecraft, which was originally scheduled for release in May, with actor and director Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Fargo) at the helm, has been delayed and received a new release date – March 4, 2022. The live-action, full-length feature film will be now directed by Peter Sollett (The Village, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist), who "will be making sure everyone stands in the right place and delivers award-worthy performances."
According to Warner Bros. and Mojang, Minecraft will tell 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," but no further details have been released yet.
The film’s latest draft was written by Aaron and Adam Nee, the newly appointed directors of Sony’s upcoming Masters of the Universe movie. As revealed by the studios, the Minecraft movie will be different from the game, which is understandable, as the base video game features little to no plot.
The original Minecraft debuted in 2009, allowing players to create their own avatars and build complex structures using textured cubes in a 3D environment. Since its release, Minecraft sales have reached an all-time high with 144 million copies having been sold across all platforms with over 74 million monthly players. Microsoft acquired game developer Mojang and the rights to Minecraft for $2.5 billion in 2016.