We’ve had some amazing original animation entities in the last couple of weeks, but now it’s time to introduce some fan favourite creations adapted for your viewing pleasure. That’s right – the 2010s are back, as Hollywood is bringing you two iconic franchises to the screens.
From imaginative, cube-y worlds to animated vampire romances – here are two upcoming potential blockbusters to keep an eye out for (or not).
A Minecraft Movie
From “Sonic the Hedgehog” to “Super Mario,” video games are finally getting the cinematic adaptation love that they deserve as of late. Because of the roaring success this genre is currently experiencing, it was only a matter of time before the best-selling video game of all time took its slice of the cake.
That’s right! Warner Bros. Pictures has officially announced an upcoming Minecraft movie, dubbed “A Minecraft Movie,” that will star the legendary Jack Black as Steve. Accompanying him will be Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Eugene, Jennifer Coolidge, Kate McKinnon, Jemaine Clement, and Matt Berry.
According to Warner Bros., the story follows four misfits — Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison (played by Jason Momoa), Henry (played by Sebastian Hansen), Natalie (played by Emma Myers) and Dawn (played by Danielle Brooks) — who 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. They will need to conquer this world — and keep it safe from bad guys like zombies and piglins — while going on a fantastical adventure with Steve (played by Jack Black), an unexpected but master craftsman, in order to return home. Together, their journey will test each of the five of them to be fearless and rediscover the qualities that make them individually creative — the very abilities required to succeed when they return to the real world.
Well, the teaser trailer has just dropped – and it looks awesome. The CGI and visual effects were reportedly provided by Wētā FX and Halon Entertainment, which explains the dazzling imagery. But despite this hyperrealistic or stylised design, we can’t help but feel this is a repeat of Paramount’s original “Sonic the Hedgehog” trailer, whose rendition of Sonic was so horrible that the internet collectively cyberbullied a studio to fix it.
As someone who played the game after it was first released, I must say that I have some mixed feelings about the film, judging by the trailer. From the very awkward animal renderings (I dread to see what the villagers will look like) to wondering what Jason Momoa is doing in a Minecraft film, I’m having misgivings. It seems like Hollywood is gearing up for another round of bullying.
Due to the game’s massive success, Mojang (the game’s developer) started receiving offers from Hollywood to adapt it into a TV series as early as 2012. In 2014, the game’s creator, Markus “Notch” Persson, stated that he was in talks with Warner Bros. to develop the film. It was initially scheduled for release on 29th May, 2019, but Warner repeatedly delayed the film until it was removed from its release schedule due to the pandemic. We just hope the studio gets to fix it before the internet tears this film apart.
Midnight Sun — Animated Series
Let’s be real here: there are two types of “Twilight” fans: ones who love the novels and films to death, and those who simply love to hate it. Sure, neither the novels nor the films have a ground-breaking narrative that’s enough to win awards, but they were all blockbusters because they were able to capture the imagination and desires of their largely female fanbase.
Twilight, which comprises four fantasy romance novels and two companion novels, follows Bella Swan, who finds herself involuntarily drawn to a mysterious yet handsome boy, Edward Cullen.
“Midnight Sun” is actually a companion novel to the original Twilight novels that retells the famous events, but this time, from the perspective of Edward Cullen. It was reported that an animated TV series based on “Midnight Sun” is being led by Lionsgates Studios’ television branch and that the show was in early development as of April 2023. Back in March of this year, Michael Burns, the vice chairman of Lionsgate, confirmed that the animated series adaptation will be heading straight to Netflix upon its release.
Penning the script is none other than Sinead Daly, who is also known for her work on “Tell Me Lies” at Hulu, “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” at AMC, “Raised by Wolves” at Max, and “The Get Down” at Netflix. Not only that, she is also the upcoming series’ executive producer. Additionally, Stephanie Meyer is joining Daly on the executive producer seat, along with Meghan Hibbett for Fickle Fish Films.
I personally never really got the hype over the original novels or even the highly successful films. But I do understand the significance of the series as a whole to fans, and this might be the perfect way to revisit and even reminisce on the franchise. With Meyer announcing that she is currently working on two additional Twilight novels, reading them might be the perfect way to pass the time until that fateful day arrives.
Sources: PC Gamer, Variety, X, IMDb, Wikimedia Commons
