Jack Black has joined the cast of the in-development live-action Minecraft movie. Rumors about this casting popped up yesterday, January 2, with Deadline reporting that Black would play Steve (the Minecraft guy with the teal shirt and blue pants). Notably, Black starred as the villainous Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie last year, giving us the instant-classic “Peaches,” too.
Following that report, other outlets, like Variety, further confirmed that Black would be starring in Minecraft alongside previously announced cast members like Jason Momoa (Aquaman, Game of Thrones), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple), and Emma Myers (Wednesday). Black himself even nodded to the news in an Instagram post that showed him reading a Minecraft Basics for Dummies book. However, neither he nor the film’s various production companies, like Warner Bros. and Legendary, have confirmed Deadline’s report that he’s playing Steve.
Variety reports that this live-action Minecraft movie will go into production soon in New Zealand. Details of its story, however, remain under wraps. It is being directed by Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess, who worked with Black on 2006’s Nacho Libre. It is expected to hit theaters on April 4, 2025.
Developer Mojang and various film studios have tried to get a Minecraft movie off the ground for years now, going as far back as 2016. At that time, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Rob McElhenney was set to direct a live-action take on the video game property, with a release date set for 2019. That version of a live-action Minecraft movie was aimed at the Jurassic World audience, according to its then-producer. However, years went by, and things changed. McElhenney, who replaced Shawn Levy as director, departed from the project, and the film was delayed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, Hess is directing the movie for Warner Bros. and Legendary.
For more, read Game Informer’s review of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and then catch up on the latest about the in-development live-action Borderlands movie, which will also feature Black as the voice of Claptrap.
[Source: Deadline, Variety]
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