One of this year’s most anticipated upcoming video game movies, A Minecraft Movie, has just hit screens, and director Jared Hess is already interested in making a sequel.
"Oh, it'd be so much fun. Yeah," says Hess to GamesRadar+ in response to whether he’d be interested in making another Minecraft movie. "I mean, look, there's the world's infinite, so many amazing mods and characters and biomes we haven't explored yet, so it'd be amazing."
As Hess outlines, the Minecraft game is virtually endless, with more characters, storylines, and blocks than you can imagine. Although like all of the best video game movies, A Minecraft Movie does a fantastic job in packing so much Minecraft lore into the film – you can read more about A Minecraft Movie Easter eggs here – there is still so much to explore. In this regard, the first movie has only just scratched the surface.
A Minecraft Movie follows four regular world humans, teenager Henry (Sebastian Hansen), his older sister (Emma Myers), ex-gaming legend Garret the Garbage Man (Jason Momoa), and animal-loving real estate agent Dawn (Danielle Brooks), who get pulled into a strange cubic world where their only chance of survival falls down to in-game character Steve (Jack Black). The movie largely takes place in the Overworld, which mimics the regular Minecraft world new players will see when they first enter the game, which consists of a grassy landscape, oak trees, caves, and a basic village.
However, we are yet to see Pillagers, Witches, or different locations such as the beach, the vast ocean, or snow-covered land. What we do get a look at, though, is The Nether, which is Minecraft's own lava-filled version of hell or the underworld. Down there, strange human-like pigs called Piglins rule, and danger lurks at every corner where monsters spawn. The Nether features in Minecraft: Java Edition, Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, and Minecraft Dungeons.
When asked why he chose to focus on The Nether and The Piglins as the antagonists, Hess explains that he loves them as they represent what is "super unique about the game," as well as the other monsters and creepers. "I'm obsessed with the Piglins. I think they're super gnarly and funny and gross and strange, and I love their weird barbarian culture," says Hess. "They're cannibals. They're obsessed with gold, and just thought that they would be such fun villains, but they've also got a unique story."
However, the movie introduces a character new to the Minecraft world, Piglin leader Malgosha, who takes the form of The Great Hog mixed with The Beast, with purple glowing eyes. "And our main antagonist, Malgoshai, she has her own unique experience with being creative and being mocked for it," adds Hess. "And that's something that just, I think worked well within the theme of the film."
A Minecraft Movie is out in cinemas now. For more, check out our A Minecraft Movie review, or keep up with upcoming movies heading your way.
