The news comes following Dunst’s comments last August that she’d like to be a part of the ‘Minecraft’ follow-up since her kids love it and, “maybe I can just make a movie where I don’t lose money?”
With ‘A Minecraft Movie’s box office total currently standing at a huge $957 million, Warner Bros. has announced that a sequel to the wildly success game adaptation is already in the works.
Yes, the movie that helped kick start a revival in WB’s box office fortunes is going the sequel route as soon as humanly possible, in this case, taking aim at a 2027 release slot.
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Jared Hess, who co-wrote and directed the first movie, is back to oversee the sequel, and while the screenplay list was a bundle of people who had worked on it through its long development, the new one will come from just Hess and collaborator Chris Galletta (‘The Kings of Summer’).
Right now, there’s no official detail on storyline or if stars Jack Black and Jason Momoa will return, but we can practically hear the dump trucks of money backing up to their houses.
Honestly, the most surprising part of all this is that it took them this long to confirm a follow-up was moving forward.
If you’re not in the game’s target audience, allow us to brief you on the basics… The game, from Swedish developer Mojang AB, allows you to create and shape an entire world, and by 2014 had sold more than 35 million copies across PCs, the Xbox 360, and mobile platforms.
Much like with Lego, the only stories here are those created by users, who can choose whether to explore, create or fight with each other.
There are also nocturnal monsters stalking the place, which you must deal with. It reached 100 million users just a few years after launch and helping spark Microsoft to acquire Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014.
Since then, it hasn’t been quite as much in the pop cultural zeitgeist (the likes of ‘Fortnite’ have tended to dominate), but it’s recognizable intellectual property.
Black and Momoa star in the movie, which follows a group of misfits who are pulled through a portal into a cubic world and guided by an expert crafter named Steve (played by Black).
There are laughs. Weird characters. Chicken Jockeys (if you know, you know).
When will ‘A Minecraft Movie 2’ be in theaters?
As confirmed by its social post below, Warners has scheduled the follow-up for July 23rd, 2027.
‘A Minecraft Movie’ is a big hit at the box office.
Jack Black and Jason Momoa star.
The movie was directed by Jared Hess.
Just when it looked like big screen video game adaptations had left their recent golden age in terms of box office (witness ‘Borderlands’ face plant last year), along comes a giant hit we’re not sure anyone truly expected.
‘A Minecraft Movie,’ which opened on Friday, has soared to number one at the box office, launching with $163 million domestically, $150.7 million overseas and that mammoth $313.7 million worldwide total.
With its blend of basic quest narrative and plenty of references to iconic game elements such as “chicken jockey” and others, it appealed to young gamers and the meme crowd equally. Reports flooded social media of the audiences reacting to appearances from certain characters like Marvel fans to moments in ‘Avengers: Endgame.’
Here’s what Jesse Ehrman, Warner Bros. president of production and development, said about getting it right:
“We had a lot of trial and error along the way. It took a while to tell the right story with the right team. There’s something special about the way people connect with the game. We knew if we could harness the same love and humor and creativity in a cinematic experience, the potential would be limitless.”
Among the records that the new movie has broken include becoming the biggest opening of 2025 so far (besting ‘Captain America: Brave New World,’ whose total gross it should surpass in due time), the record opening for a movie based on a video game (outplaying ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie,’ which launched in 2023 with $146.3 million,) and the biggest domestic opening figure for both Black and Momoa.
And that’s not all! It also raked in Warner Bros. largest three-day total in April (really reaching here) and the biggest Sunday of All Time (besting ‘Barbie’).
Finally, a true stretch: it’s the only film in box office history to open to over $50 million and see no drop Saturday — instead, rising by 4%, making it the only film ever to achieve this.
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ dropped 0% from Friday to Saturday last year but only opened to $41 million.
‘A Minecraft Movie’s Success: the Executives Speak
In 1942, Italian diplomat Count Caleazzo Ciano said, “success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan,” and that can be particularly true of Hollywood blockbusters.
With the movie doing huge business at the box office, co-heads of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who have been beset recently by some flops and are reportedly in fear for their jobs, were quick to capitalize on the success.
Here’s their statement:
“ ‘A Minecraft Movie’ represents the largest domestic opening weekend of 2025, the biggest since July, and Warner Bros.’ largest opening weekend since 2023. This is truly a world-class achievement! This is what happens when we believe in the power of our creativity, each other, and the strength of great storytelling.”
If you’re not in the game’s target audience, allow us to brief you on the basics… The game, from Swedish developer Mojang AB, allows you to create and shape an entire world, and by 2014 had sold more than 35 million copies across PCs, the Xbox 360, and mobile platforms.
Much like with Lego, the only stories here are those created by users, who can choose whether to explore, create or fight with each other.
There are also nocturnal monsters stalking the place, which you must deal with. It reached 100 million users just a few years after launch and helping spark Microsoft to acquire Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014.
Since then, it hasn’t been quite as much in the pop cultural zeitgeist (the likes of ‘Fortnite’ have tended to dominate), but it’s recognizable intellectual property.
What has Happened with the Development of the Movie Adaptation So Far?
Around the time of the Microsoft purchase, Warners entered talks with prolific producer and director Shawn Levy, but his packed scheduled and slow development on the movie meant he never ended up in the director’s chair.
After Levy came ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ co-creator and self-avowed ‘Minecraft’ fan Rob McElhenney was next in line as director when the movie was still being planned as an animated release. He, like Levy, appears to have been the victim of scheduling, and has focused his video game-loving energies on co-creating and starring in Apple TV+’s ‘Mythic Quest’ series.
With ‘Wonder Woman’s Jason Fuchs sticking around for script work, the movie then targeted Steve Carell as a potential star but… well… you can guess what happened.
The most recent time before now that ‘Minecraft’ news showed up, it was with ‘Raising Victor Vargas’ Peter Sollett writing and directing.
With Jared Hess on board, it finally got in gear. And the rest is box office history.
Will there be a ‘Minecraft’ sequel?
At this point, we’d predict several. And probably a TV show. And maybe a video ga… wait a minute!
In theaters on April 4th, ‘A Minecraft Movie’ adapts the wildly popular (at least, a few years ago, before the likes of ‘Fortnite’ and ‘Roblox’ took over) video game where players can craft whatever they want in the blocky universe known as the “Overworld.”
While some recent game adaptations have triumphed through finding a unique way into the story, ‘A Minecraft Movie’ has only occasional nods towards that, preferring instead to appeal to its young-skewing audience via bombastic action and comedy.
Video game adaptations were tarred for years with a lack of success, and to be clearer, a lack of understanding what really needs to happen with you convert something from one medium to another. Then, the likes of ‘Detective Pikachu,’ Netflix’s ‘Arcane,’ the burgeoning ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ franchise and even ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ proved that it could work –– though that last one is more box office behemoth than true creative challenge.
Along the same lines; albeit product rather than game, is ‘The LEGO Movie,’ which showed that it you find the right creators, who hit upon a great idea, you can end up with something really special, particularly if it’s people who don’t treat the source material like gospel to be taken fully successfully.
It’s that last entry to which we might best compare ‘A Minecraft Movie’, though put up against the sheer lunatic invention of ‘LEGO,’ the new offering certainly falls a lot shorter, with fewer points with which to recommend it.
It’s normal for a project that has been in development for as long as the ‘Minecraft’ outing to boast contributions from a laundry list of writers –– let’s be honest, even the successful ones usually come to screens with a host of uncredited input by funny/professional people. Yet with five people listed on the screenplay: Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James and Chris Galletta, you might expect ‘A Minecraft Movie’ to have come through with a few more original ideas.
Yet for all the concepts drawn from within the game (build anything you can imagine from the blocky source fodder of the “Overworld” and the various creatures/characters who populate the game), this still falls back on some awfully familiar structures, including Hunt for the Object, the Villain who Hates Everything the Heroes Care About and Seeks to Destroy it and the Coming of Age/Believe in Yourself storylines.
What we have here is essentially a remix of those, and while, yes, a lot of films of this genre go for that, it’s how you use them. ‘A Minecraft Movie,’ while sometimes poking fun at the ideas, goes the fairly basic route. Some of the gags land (largely sold by the performers, more on that below), but the whole is less than the sum of its parts. And some of the parts feel awfully second-hand.
As a director, Jared Hess has put out fiercely original, goofy takes on life such as his breakout ‘Napoleon Dynamite,’ and he does manage to bring some of his offbeat comic energy to the film. It’s also credit to him and his team that the world comes across as decent, as opposed to the rushed, cloudy CG-scapes that have brought the likes of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ low.
Still, there remains the feeling that ‘Minecraft’ has seen Hess’ voice fed through the studio machine to some degree.
If there’s one element that feels like it drives everything else, it’s the paired zaniness of Jack Black and Jason Momoa.
Black, of course, is bringing his usual manic energy to the role of Steve, the crafter who found his way to the Overworld and in it, discovered what he was looking for (alongside a loyal, blocky wolf companion named Dennis).
If you’re not a fan of Black’s particular, enthusiastic and occasionally musical delivery, you’ll probably be turned off by his wild-eyed posturing and his gesticulating. But vibe with him (and a lot of the kid audience already does) and he brings the role to vivid life, managing to be silly and heartfelt in one package.
Jason Momoa, meanwhile, has proved in the past that he can lean into weirdness when called upon, and here his Garrett, a shaggy-haired, pink-tasseled leather jacket-wearing wannabe badass is another solid comic creation for the actor to bring to life. By turns fake-macho and sensitive, he wouldn’t be out of place in the world of video game documentary ‘The King of Kong’ and he’s just on the right side of annoying as to be watchable.
Also on a comic vibe –– though sidelined to such a degree as to almost be completely detached from the narrative at points –– is Jennifer Coolidge, whose kooky energy serves her well as Vice Principal Marlene, who ends up on a dinner date with one of the Minecraft characters who makes it into the real world and chews on her lines almost as much as her meal.
Elsewhere, the other human characters such as Emma Myers‘ Natalie and Sebastian Hansen’s Henry are there to provide the heart, which makes them much blander, though they do get their moments.
And while her specific comedy vibe is mostly wasted, Danielle Brooks also has one or two decent gags.
On the villainous side, we have the always-reliable Rachel House (‘Thor: Ragnarok‘ and many of Taika Waititi’s other movies), who voices piggy witch Malgosha, a creature with a dark, destructive agenda. She might not sound all that threatening, but she sells the character’s comic business, particularly during a climatic showdown with Black’s Steve.
‘A Minecraft Movie’ never hits the heights of ‘The LEGO Movie,’ but it’s certainly more willing to take risks than Illumination’s ‘Mario’ effort.
Definitely aimed more at younger audiences (this is a real case of “parents, ask your kids,” it’s overstuffed and under-considered, but does the job.
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What is the plot of ‘A Minecraft Movie’?
Four misfits—Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks)—find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like piglins and zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Jack Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking in person with Oscar nominated actress Danielle Brooks about her work on ‘A Minecraft Movie’, if she was a fan of the game, her first reaction to the screenplay, being on the set, collaborating with director Jared Hess, her character’s relationship with a wolf named Dennis, working with Jack Black and Jason Momoa, and if she could build anything … what would she build?
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Brooks, Emma Myers and Sebastian Hansen, and director Jared Hess.
Moviefone: To begin with, how familiar were you with the Minecraft game before making this movie, and what was your first reaction to the screenplay and the way they were going to adapt the game?
Danielle Brooks: Coming into ‘Minecraft’, I knew nothing. I am such a newbie, and was just being introduced to this world. Growing up, we did play a few video games, but I really wasn’t exposed, so I missed out a lot. I’ve learned now. I’ve missed out a lot. But as far as reading the screenplay and going into shooting it, it’s a lot of the same stuff but a lot of things we improved. You know what I mean? A lot of things we were discovering as we went along, especially for Dawn. I think we were still trying to figure out who is she, but I think we came up with some really great stuff, with Jared Hess at the head. I wasn’t writing nothing. Well, I did improv a lot, so maybe I should get a writer’s credit. But we just really were able to figure it out together, and I really love what we came up with.
MF: What was it like being on the set and watching director Jared Hess execute his unique vision for this project?
DB: He was definitely the right guy for the job. I mean, if you’ve seen any of his other films, his humor is there. It’s a little odd, but which makes for a really natural, real thing. Just something that we can look at and relate to, I think. So, working with him was pretty awesome. He’s a super nice guy, and wonderful with kids and adults, so I was excited to get to work with him.
MF: Your character, Dawn, forms a friendship with a wolf named Dennis in the movie. Can you talk about that relationship and what were you working with when you were acting opposite Dennis?
DB: Good question. With Dennis, it was pretty amazing because, first of all, I was working with was a real person. Shout out to the stunt team. There was this guy dressed in all gray with these black and white dots all over his body. Then, he would actually have this square head, that was shaped like Dennis’s head, that he would be in and be in his physical world. So, I was acting alongside him, really using my imagination, really getting to be just a little 10-year-old kid with that. But it was fun. Being able to be the one that was able to give Dennis the bone and have that connection with him was nice. It’s very ironic that my husband’s name is Dennis too, so it just makes sense.
MF: What are Jack Black and Jason Momoa like to work with and have as scene partners in this movie?
DB: They were horrible because they tried to steal the show from me every time. The thing about me is you cannot take my shot. I am the star! I don’t care what it says on the call sheet. I’m the star! No, I’m joking. They were wonderful. They really set a beautiful tone on set, and I’m really grateful for that. Jack is one of one, and Jason was so lovely because he let his inner kid go, which gave us permission to do the same. I really hope to get to work with those guys again. I really do. It was no egos on set. It was just good people wanting to put a good project together.
MF: Finally, if you could build anything, what would you build and why?
DB: I would build my own Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory. That’s what I would want. I really do. I want all of the candies to make you blow up, like Violet Beauregarde, I think it that was her name. I want all of the things. I want the gobstopper, Chocolate fountains and stuff. And Oompa-Loompas. Why not?
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What is the plot of ‘A Minecraft Movie’?
Four misfits—Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (Jason Momoa), Henry (Sebastian Hansen), Natalie (Emma Myers) and Dawn (Danielle Brooks)—find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like piglins and zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve (Jack Black). Together, their adventure will challenge all five to be bold and to reconnect with the qualities that make each of them uniquely creative…the very skills they need to thrive back in the real world.
Jennifer Coolidge stars in ‘Riff Raff’. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jennifer Coolidge about her work on ‘Riff Raff’, her first reaction to the screenplay, working with the cast, and how Bill Murray made her laugh.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Coolidge and Gabrielle Union.
Jennifer Coolidge in ‘Riff Raff’. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and why did you want to be part of this project?
Jennifer Coolidge: You know, you get a call and people are like, “I’m sending a script over. I want you in this and you I think you’d be great for this character.” Then you get it, open it up and you read it and you’re like, “I don’t see it.” Occasionally, I’ll have doubts about something and I’m able to overcome the doubts and I’ll go do it. The minute I read it; I knew that John Pollono wrote an incredible script. I have to say, it was such a good script that even if I wasn’t right for Ruth, I might have just taken the job. It was so satisfying when I went to the Toronto Film Festival and got to see it. There was a huge screening of it in this beautiful movie theater I couldn’t have been happier with the results of that. You know, just how they took John Pollono’s writing and then did Ditto’s direction, I felt like it was just an A plus. Everyone did such a good job and especially, Ditto did such a good job of telling that story. I have a feeling John Pollono is going to be employed for the next 50 years straight. He must just be booked solid. I thought that was just a brilliant script.
(L to R) Jennifer Coolidge and Lewis Pullman in ‘Riff Raff’. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
MF: Finally, there is one scene in the movie that features the entire cast together including yourself, Ed Harris, Lewis Pullman, Gabrielle Union, Pete Davidson, and Bill Murray. What was it like shooting that sequence and having the whole cast together in one scene?
JC: Well, it took a long time to shoot that that night and it was freezing out. We were all there and I think there was maybe some technical things they had to overcome so it was an extra-long night. But a weird thing happened. I get some really bad news in that scene and there is something about Bill Murray. I don’t know if he was trying to mess me up, but I could not keep it together. I mean, I’m getting some very serious news and Bill would just do something and I would lose it and it was very unprofessional of me, but I couldn’t help it. I mean, he has that thing that makes you laugh. I could tell that people were losing respect for me. Like why couldn’t I keep it together? But that’s the hardest I’ve ever laughed on a job. It was a serious scene and Bill would just look at me like you know like, “You loser,” and it was even funnier to me. He’s a great bad guy.
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What is the plot of ‘Riff Raff’?
The life of a former criminal (Ed Harris) is thrown into turmoil when his old family (Jennifer Coolidge and Lewis Pullman) appear for a long-awaited reckoning.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Gabrielle Union about her work in ‘Riff Raff’, her first reaction to the script and the character, how the project changed her life, and working with the all-star cast.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Union, and Jennifer Coolidge.
Gabrielle Union in ‘Riff Raff’. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to this screenplay and how did you approach playing your character?
Gabrielle Union: Well, thankfully I was offered the role of Sandy. They sent the script, and I was like, “Are you kidding me? This is a dream.” They were like, “Jennifer Coolidge is starring in this, she’s executive producing. Ed Harris would be your husband.” I’m like, “Sign me up. I will pay to be in this.” The script was so fantastic, and I knew that this could be a role that change my life and change my career. So, I was excited and very honored to even be considered much less a straight offer. So that was exciting.
MF: To follow up on something you just said, how do you think that this project has changed your life and career?
GU: Not everything made it, but what we shot was some of the toughest material I’d ever worked with, and some of the most meaningful material I’d ever worked with. It forced me to touch places in my life and in my psyche that I’d never really drawn from before. It forced me to be a different kind of vulnerable than I’ve ever played. I loved that challenge, so I was a little disappointed when some of that didn’t make it. But yeah, that’s why I took the role, because I knew that I would be challenged. It scared me a little bit, so if it scares me, I know I should absolutely take it.
(L to R) Miles J. Harvey and Ed Harris in ‘Riff Raff’. Photo: Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
MF: Finally, there is a long scene in the film that features the entire cast. How many days did it take to shoot that sequence, and what was it like being on set with legendary performers like Ed Harris, Bill Murray and Jennifer Coolidge?
GU: I mean, because pretty much everything took place in that house, so the set is in that house. There are two tiny holding rooms for the whole cast. So, there’s a group of us that are piled into some small child’s room, and then some are in the bigger bedroom. We had the director and video village also, and there’s not a lot of space. There’s zero privacy, there’s one bathroom. It was tight and everyone prepares in a different way, so we had to be very focused and respectful of everybody’s processes. It was very serious and professional. Everyone was kind of ready to go when it was time. So, everyone had to really be on point, and I think it might’ve been two days. It felt more like one, but yeah, about two days or a day and a half. The whole movie was like three weeks. We didn’t have a ton of time, so you had to be on point. You better be ready for your close-up, because we just didn’t have the time to probably give everyone all the coverage that we would’ve normally had if we had a longer shooting schedule.
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What is the plot of ‘Riff Raff’?
The life of a former criminal (Ed Harris) is thrown into turmoil when his old family (Jennifer Coolidge and Lewis Pullman) appear for a long-awaited reckoning.
Sebastian Stan and Demi Moore were among the winners.
If 2024 represented a stumble for the scandal-prone Golden Globes, this year’s awards ceremony appeared to be much more back on form –– host Nikki Glaser kept things moving, while being funny even when it came to controversial subjects –– and there were some surprises in store for winners.
A big factor this year were indies scoring big –– well, if you can call ‘Emilia Perez’ an “indie” since it was produced by Netflix –– but the likes of ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘I’m Still Here’ and ‘Conclave’ all took home awards.
On the bigger scale, ‘Wicked’ could only conjure one win, while indie animated movie ‘Flow’ overtook the heavier hitters in its category.
Following last year’s shambles of a hosting gig by comedian Jo Koy, this Globes was in much surer hands thanks to Nikki Glaser, who dipped her toe into controversial topics –– the sex scandals of Sean “Diddy” Combs, politics –– but also managed to raise laughs and keep the ceremony moving.
It might not have been the most hilarious or memorable monologue/set, but it was a definite uptick.
When it came to the matter of the election, Glaser was scathing:
“You’re all so famous, so talented, so powerful. I mean, you could really do anything, except tell the country who to vote for.”
The Diddy crack came when she was referring to Zendaya’s role in ‘Challengers’:
“That movie was more sexually charged than Diddy’s credit card. I mean, seriously. Oh no, no, I know, I’m sorry, I’m upset too, the afterparty’s not going to be as good this year, but we have to move on!”
Finally, there was her skit mashing up ‘Wicked’ with ‘Conclave’ for the song ‘Popeular.’ “You’re gonna love this,” she announced, and it seemed to go over well, except perhaps with Elton John (no part of either movie) who didn’t seem to understand what it was all about.
‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Perez’ Enter the Awards Chat
Despite being 215 minutes, Brady Corbet’s ‘The Brutalist’ was among the big winners, taking home the drama award, Best Director for Corbet and Lead Actor–Drama for star Adrien Brody.
Netflix’s ‘Emilia Pérez,’ meanwhile, won four Globes, including best picture (comedy/musical), supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña, international feature and original song (“El Mal”).
On the acting front, Sebastian Stan was a worthy winner for ‘A Different Man,’ while ‘Wicked,’ which went into the evening with four nominations, only took home the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement gong. ‘Anora,’ which has won trophies from lots of other awards bodies, was shut out.
These wins don’t guarantee success come Oscar night, but they certainly give the movies some momentum.
Possibly the most emotional and celebrated win of the night was Demi Moore finally scoring an award for her lead performance in satirical horror movie ‘The Substance.’
Whether it came because the Globes loves to A) reward a big star and B) can’t resist a comeback story, Moore’s award was nevertheless deserved thanks to her committed, prosthetics-heavy work in Coralie Fargeat’s story of beauty and paranoia.
Her speech was heartfelt and pointed all at once:
“Thirty years ago I had a producer tell me I was a popcorn actress and at that time I made that mean that I wasn’t allowed to have this, that I could do movies that were successful and made a lot of money but that I wouldn’t be acknowledged, and I bought in and I believed that. A few years ago I thought that this was it, maybe I’ve done what I was supposed to do and then I had this magical bold courageous out of the box absolutely bonkers script come across my desk called ‘The Substance’ and the universe told me you’re not done.”
Moore’s family –– including daughter Rumer Willis –– erupted with joy while watching at home, which you can see below via Instagram.
It wouldn’t be the Golden Globes –– or indeed any awards ceremony –– without a few clunkers on the presentation front. This year’s ceremony included an odd camera angle (which Seth Rogen commented on).
Falling somewhere between funny and entirely awkward (as always) on the presentation side was Vin Diesel, handing out the Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award –– somewhat fitting given his leadership of the wildly successful ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise.
Diesel took the stage and immediately referenced Dwayne Johnson, with whom he’s famously been in a feud (though it seems to have thawed in recent times). “Hey Dwayne…”
The Rock gave no response save his megawatt smile (he’d previously scored a big laugh introducing the first award of the night and referring to how they used some of his chest hair for Timothée Chalamet’s ‘A Complete Unknown,’) but the level of tension certainly revved up a touch.
Fernanda Torres was a somewhat surprising (yet worthy) winner for the non-English language Brazilian drama ‘I’m Still Here.’
Taking the stage to collect Lead Actress in a Drama, Torres referenced her mother, who was nominated for the same trophy for her role in ‘Central Station’ more than two decades ago.
“She was here 25 years ago, and this is proof that art can endure through life, even in difficult moments like this. ‘I’m Still Here’ is a film that can help us to think how to survive in tough times.”
‘Matlock’s Kathy Bates, nominated in the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama, ultimately lost to Anna Sawai of ‘Shōgun.’
The veteran actor was naturally supportive of Sawai and applauded her win, and has Sawai took the stage, Bates was glimpsed tearing up her now-unnecessary acceptance speech, albeit with more good humor.
Bates needn’t worry –– since ‘Matlock’ has already been renewed for Season 2, she’ll have other chances. And it’s not like she doesn’t already have an Oscar on her mantle.
With some hefty competition, including this year’s most successful box office release, ‘Inside Out 2,’ ‘Flow’ was the slightly surprising winner in the Animated Film category.
Not because it isn’t good –– it certainly is –– but because it hadn’t enjoyed quite the exposure of, say, Disney’s behemoth or DreamWorks’ ‘The Wild Robot.’
Writer/director (and various other tasks) Gints Zilbalodis paid tribute to his collaborators:
“This film is made by a very small, young but passionate team in a place where there isn’t a big film industry. This is the first time that a film from Latvia has been here, so this is huge for us. This is a very personal story for me because I used to work alone. I made all my films myself but this time I worked with a team and just like the cat in ‘Flow,’ I had to learn how to trust others, how to collaborate, how to overcome our differences and I think it’s very important to remember this nowadays, more than ever.”
‘Shōgun’ was also triumphant once again, nabbing three awards, while ‘Hacks’ was similarly rewarded with two, including Jean Smart once again.
Such was the lack of surprise at ‘The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White taking Best Performance in a Male Actor –– Musical or Comedy that Allen wasn’t even present to collect his trophy (though that might have something to do with his filming commitments to Bruce Springsteen biopic ‘Deliver Me from Nowhere.’)
It was certainly a better night for the Globes than 2024, though while the success of winners such as ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘Emilia Perez’ and actors including Moore and Stan don’t necessarily point to potential Oscar chances (the Globes traditionally don’t have a great track record of predicting the bigger awards), it was at least less embarrassing.
There remains a whiff of unfortunate corporate influence and some questions over the validity of the voting process, but this was by all reasonable metrics, a success.
Given all the recent casting, the tone certainly seems to be leaning in a comedic direction.
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What is ‘Minecraft’?
Minecraft game from Mojang Studios.
If you’re not in the game’s target audience, here’s what you need to know… ‘Minecraft’, from Swedish developer Mojang AB, allows you to create and shape an entire world, and by 2014 had sold more than 35 million copies across PCs, the Xbox 360, and mobile platforms. Much like with Lego, the only stories here are those created by users, who can choose whether to explore, create or fight with each other. There are also nocturnal monsters stalking the place, which you must deal with. It reached 100 million users just a few years after launch and helping spark Microsoft to acquire Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014.
Since then, it hasn’t been quite as much in the pop cultural zeitgeist (the likes of ‘Fortnite’ have tended to dominate), but it’s recognizable intellectual property.
What has happened with the development of the movie adaptation so far?
Jason Momoa as Dante in ‘Fast X’, directed by Louis Leterrier.
Around the time of the Microsoft purchase, Warners entered talks with prolific producer and director Shawn Levy, but his packed scheduled and slow development on the movie meant he never ended up in the director’s chair.
After Levy came ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ co-creator and self-avowed ‘Minecraft’ fan Rob McElhenney was next in line as director when the movie was still being planned as an animated release. He, like Levy, appears to have been the victim of scheduling, and has focused his video game-loving energies on co-creating and starring in Apple TV+’s ‘Mythic Quest’ series.
With ‘Wonder Woman’s Jason Fuchs sticking around for script work, the movie then targeted Steve Carell as a potential star but that also didn’t happen.
The most recent time that ‘Minecraft’ news showed up, it was with ‘Raising Victor Vargas’ Peter Sollett writing and directing.
“I think anybody that does any IP, they just want to avoid an ugly ‘Sonic’ situation [referring to the fan-hated original CG hedgehog from the movies]. just can’t disappoint the 10-year-olds, or they’re going to murder us.”
‘Minecraft’ is currently scheduled for release on April 4th, 2025.
Kate McKinnon attends the 89th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 26, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images).
Jennifer Coolidge in HBO’s ‘The White Lotus.’ Photograph by Fabio Lovino/HBO.
Preview:
Jennifer Coolidge in the latest addition to the ‘Minecraft’ movie.
Jason Momoa is starring in the film.
Jared Hess is directing the movie now in New Zealand.
Having walked on stage at the recent Emmy Awards to collect the trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in ‘The White Lotus’, Jennifer Coolidge has now landed a gig in a big upcoming film.
The comedy veteran will be bringing her particular style to ‘Minecraft’, which has been bulking up its laugh-grabbing side of late, with Jack Black the most recent addition.
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What is ‘Minecraft’?
Minecraft game from Mojang Studios.
If you’re not in the game’s target audience, allow us to brief you on the basics… The game, from Swedish developer Mojang AB, allows you to create and shape an entire world, and by 2014 had sold more than 35 million copies across PCs, the Xbox 360, and mobile platforms. Much like with Lego, the only stories here are those created by users, who can choose whether to explore, create or fight with each other. There are also nocturnal monsters stalking the place, which you must deal with. It reached 100 million users just a few years after launch and helping spark Microsoft to acquire Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014.
Since then, it hasn’t been quite as much in the pop cultural zeitgeist (the likes of ‘Fortnite’ have tended to dominate), but it’s recognizable intellectual property.
What has happened with the development of the movie adaptation so far?
Shawn Levy attends ‘The Adam Project’ World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on February 28, 2022 in New York City. Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Netflix.
Around the time of the Microsoft purchase, Warners entered talks with prolific producer and director Shawn Levy, but his packed scheduled and slow development on the movie meant he never ended up in the director’s chair.
After Levy came ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ co-creator and self-avowed ‘Minecraft’ fan Rob McElhenney was next in line as director when the movie was still being planned as an animated release. He, like Levy, appears to have been the victim of scheduling, and has focused his video game-loving energies on co-creating and starring in Apple TV+’s ‘Mythic Quest’ series.
With ‘Wonder Woman’s Jason Fuchs sticking around for script work, the movie then targeted Steve Carell as a potential star but… well… that didn’t pan out
The most recent time that ‘Minecraft’ news showed up, it was with ‘Raising Victor Vargas’ Peter Sollett writing and directing. But with Jared Hess in charge, it has finally gotten in gear, with filming under way in New Zealand.
Who else is in ‘Minecraft’?
Jason Momoa as Dante in ‘Fast X’, directed by Louis Leterrier.
