The upcoming Minecraft movie is working hard to give the fans what they want, and its director is using Sonic as a cautionary tale.
During an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune (via Eurogamer) director Jared Hess explained that he’s trying to “avoid an ‘Ugly Sonic’ situation."
“I think anybody that does any IP, they just want to avoid an 'Ugly Sonic' situation," he said. “I just can't disappoint the 10-year-olds, or they're going to murder us.”
It’s no secret that the Sonic the Hedgehog movie was almost a huge disappointment. The film went on to great box office success, but an early glimpse of everyone’s favorite blue hedgehog had the internet up in arms.
Yes, that’s the original version of Sonic the Hedgehog that, thankfully, never made it to the big screen. Following a huge backlash, the creatives behind the movie went back to the drawing board and came up with a much better version that was closer to the original character. And you know… didn't look quite so horrific.
Thankfully, it looks as though Minecraft won’t follow in Sonic's footsteps, so hopefully we’ll see much more faithful versions of the player character (perhaps even Minecraft Steve) in the movie.
Minecraft debuted in 2009 and is notably an open sandbox – a game without a linear story that encourages player creativity. It’s for this reason that Hess says he joined the project.
“Trying to adapt something that doesn't have a story - it's an open sandbox game... I like the challenge,” he said. “There's got to be a fun, ridiculous movie here. And there is.”
He also said that his children play Minecraft “endlessly” so here’s hoping they appreciate his take on Minecraft, Steve, and whatever other elements of the long-running game make it into the film.
Speaking of Steve, recent reports indicate Jack Black is joining the cast of the Minecraft Movie to play the franchise's blocky lead. The current cast includes Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, and Sebastian Eugene Hansen, with Jason Momoa also reported to have been in talks for a role.
The potential casting news is another step forward for the Minecraft movie, which has been in development since at least 2014. Filming on the movie began in December 2023. It's currently slated to release on April 4, 2025.
For more, check out the biggest movies of 2024, from Dune: Part Two to Kung Fu Panda 4, which also stars Black.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
