Looks like Jack Black just can’t keep away from those videogame movie adaptations, because he’s the latest star to be cast in the live action Minecraft movie.
As reported by Deadline, Black joins Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, and Danielle Brooks as those currently confirmed to appear in the movie. It’s being directed by Jared Hess, the filmmaker behind Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre, the latter of which Black also starred in. Deadline rumours say that Black is set to play Steve, the game’s default (main?) character. We’ve still no clue what the story will actually be about yet, though.
This makes the third movie adaptation of a game that Black will be in—he played Bowser in last year’s Super Mario Bros. Movie, as well as voicing Claptrap in the upcoming Borderlands film. I’m perhaps a little biased as a long-time Jack Black stan, but I feel like he really does light up every film he appears in. His performance in the Super Mario Bros. Movie is easily the most memorable part of the film for me, and I’m almost positive he’ll be capable of making me finally love Borderlands’ terribly irritating hunk of junk.
Filming on the Minecraft movie should be starting up pretty soon… hopefully. It was meant to take place back in August in New Zealand, but those plans were scrapped due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes that happened over the latter part of last year. Now those strikes are over, filming is hoping to pick up some time this month. Release is expected on April 4, 2025.
It’s been a rough development period for the adaptation, to say the least. Some kind of Minecraft movie has been in the works for at least a decade at this point, with Shawn Levy originally due to direct before It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Rob McElhenney took over. When things fell apart a few years later he was replaced by Peter Sollett, whose attempt unfortunately also met its demise in 2020. Hopefully Hess will be the one to stick and, considering things seem to have moved much further along at this point, that April 2025 release date will actually happen.
