“Because F**k them at this point”: Rob McElhenney’s Heartbreaking Admission After Warner Bros Cancels His $150 Million Minecraft Movie After 2.5 Years of Hard Work

SUMMARY

• Warner Bros. recently revealed the teaser for A Minecraft Movie set for a 2025 release.
• The project has been in production for years and even went through some big changes.
• Rob McElhenney was initally set to direct the movie but the project eventually fell off.

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The Minecraft movie may have just been announced. But it’s been in the works for a long time. In 2020, Rob McElhenney was already working on an animated film adaptation of the game but it got scrapped after two and a half years of work.

Well, there is a movie coming at least. | Image Credit: Warner Bros. YouTube

The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star was set to direct the movie but despite his passion and time, he couldn’t. He later opened up about the whole ordeal and shared his emotional journey through the failed production. And now all fans can do is lament what could’ve been.

A Minecraft Movie By Rob McElhenney’s Could’ve Been Amazing

McElhenney had an amazing vision for his project. Now we’ll never see it. | Image Credit: FX

Initially, Rob McElhenney saw the lack of a narrative in Minecraft since it’s just a simple sandbox open-world game. He believed the game’s open-world format was an excellent canvas for storytelling.

Then he goes on to talk about his vision for what the movie could’ve been and the ideas behind his planning. It really revolved around giving a sense of freedom to anyone who saw it. Kid or adult.

Kids mostly feel powerless; all day long they’re being told what to do, how to dress, do your homework, go to bed.

He goes on to talk about how this could also be applied to not just kids but also adults who feel like a drone. The menial cycle of waking up going to work, and doing everything the exact same every day.

I think everybody feels marginalized to an extent. You just feel like you don’t have this sense of agency over your own life. The game gave you that.

His vision was to create a movie that highlighted the power of choice in a world where most people feel they lack control, whether at work, in school, or even at home.

We Did Get A Movie Eventually, But Will It Be Any Good?

The new movie trailer looks like a bit crazy. | Image Credit: Warner Bros. YouTube

McElhenney’s pitch was strong enough to impress the executives at Warner Bros. He had even taken a trip to Pixar to learn from their team, including legends like Andrew Stanton, who directed Wall-E and Finding Nemo.

But everything began to unravel in 2016 when movie chief Greg Silverman left the studio. Now there’s a new movie coming, but who knows if it’ll be any good.

always remember what they took from us. we were supposed to get a $150 million dollar animated minecraft movie directed by rob mcelhenney. https://t.co/adOl7T9arj pic.twitter.com/ferqTxlt64

For McElhenney, the hardest part of the project’s collapse was the emotional and personal investment. He had moved his family to Vancouver, ready to begin production, only to watch the entire project crumble.

As of September 2024, the first trailer for the live-action Minecraft movie is out and the movie will premiere on April 2025. And it will no doubt be completely different.

Do you think McElhenney’s vision for the project was good? Would you have rather seen his movie instead? Let us know in the comments!

Written by Daniel Royte

Articles Published: 299

Daniel is a gamer through and through with a passion for gaming in his veins. His current adventures have taken him into the world of Elden Ring, Wuthering Waves, and Genshin Impact, amongst others.