With the MINECRAFT movie soon to be released, I thought it might be fun to go back in time to May 2012 when I made my pitch for why I might be the right producer for a Minecraft movie. This is an actual email that I sent to the Mojang team after a kind introduction from a mutual friend, the filmmaker Paul Levering, who was currently making a documentary about Minecraft.
We were going to set a time to meet up in Stockholm, but after this email, I unfortunately became quite ill, needed surgery, and was then unable to travel for most of 2012. By the time I was ready to reengage, I had definitely missed my window, and as they say the rest is history.
But here's a glimpse at a very different approach to a Minecraft movie, conceived before Minecraft took over the world, sold to Microsoft, and became a massive kid-focused property.
Hi Team Mojang,
I'm sorry for not emailing sooner, but please don't take it as a sign that I am not appreciative of Paul's thoughtful intro email. I'm sure it's too much information to share, but I was having gallstone issues the last week and it unfortunately kept me from getting much work done.
I've been a big fan of Minecraft for a while. A quick check of my email history shows that I paid for my premium account in September 2010. I spent a good chunk of my free-time 2010 and 2011 exploring voxel worlds and building delightfully blocky structures. But I'm sure you hear enough from fans, that you don't need me to heap more praise on top of the already giant pile.
I'm not sure what your thoughts are on the potential of a Minecraft feature film, but it's something I've been thinking quite a lot about. Aspects of it have been gestating in my subconscious for a while as I've been working on other films, but it only started really coming together in the last few weeks as I made a slightly bigger realization. So here's my general brief pitch on why I think there should be a Minecraft feature film, how I think it should be approached, and why I think I'm the right producer to get it made.
For me, Minecraft is a game that fosters creativity, beauty, exploration, and the powerful idea that big things can come from small starts. I think this idea and theme is reflected not only in the game, but in the community around the game, and in the very heart of what Notch and Mojang have built. The game is special, and the culture is special, and if there's a film then the film needs to also be special. And I think that a film that can achieve this can spread the world of Minecraft and the culture of Minecraft.
I think the wrong approach for a film would be to just for a studio to view Minecraft as IP that can be mined in other media. This misses the entire point of what makes Minecraft special. I think the right approach is to build a film that reflects not only the creative world of Minecraft but also its culture, community, and themes. A studio would just view this as another video-game adaptation, and we all know how that turns out.
A Minecraft film not only has to be independent, it needs to be disruptively independent. I think this means financing outside the studios, and only using the studio system for distribution where necessary. (Although in my heart, I would love to figure out a way to also re-imagine the distribution system to allow for worldwide online distribution simultaneous with theatrical release.) The typical process of development and production on a feature film is incredibly closed, with little interaction with its potential audience. I think that process needs to be reconceived for a Minecraft film. Open things up much more than normal. Keep the Minecraft community involved.
The creative approach is a challenge. The game is inherently non-narrative in appeal with a character that exists mostly as a player-surrogate, but I think that can be a benefit when it comes to the film. It allows for freedom without causing conflict with the game. I view the story of the film as being along the following lines:
A highly resourceful man wakes up (or shipwrecks, or crash-lands, etc) on an abandoned island. He is basically the better version of us, in terms of how a normal person would respond in this situation. He immediately gets to work on increasing his odds of survival. He builds shelter, builds tools and weapons, hunts for food, and it looks like maybe things are going to go his way. Then the monsters arrive…
In gauche Hollywood terms, it's Robinson Crusoe meets I Am Legend.
In terms of look, obviously for a film the approach shouldn't be iconic voxel graphics. That said, I think the game should strongly influence the look of the film. The beauty of the sun rising through a tropical paradise. The fear of walking into a truly dark cave where you can hear zombies swarming.
Obviously a lot of the creative side of things would depend on the writer and director hired. Personally, my top choice would be Duncan Jones, the director of MOON and SOURCE CODE. I think he would get the tone and genre, and understands video-games. I wouldn't be surprised if he's already a Minecraft player. If not Duncan, then I think it's still important to find someone who truly loves video-games and has a passion for high-quality genre filmmaking.
Put simply, I want the Minecraft movie to be the first great video-game film. I think I can help that happen, and I hope you think I might be the right person for the job.
I'm based in London for 2012, and I have offices in both LA and London. Please let me know if you'd like to meet to discuss at all, or if any of this sounds interesting. If so, I'm happy to make a proposal for an option on the film-rights.
Best Wishes, Keith Calder
