After 2023’s massive success of video game adaptations, more progress is being made on future big-screen takes on our favorite games. That’s right, Jack Black has officially joined the cast of the Minecraft movie, and will play the in-game character Steve. The film will be released on April 4, 2025.
From Super Mario to Minecraft, Jack Black Joins the Cast that Includes Jason Momoa
The casting update for the film arrived from Deadline. The plot is being kept under wraps, but now that the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes are behind us, the project will move forward to meet its 2025 date.
Jack Black’s joining the Minecraft movie shows it is on the right track after multiple other casting updates have occurred. Previously, the film was in development hell. It has had writers and directors drop out. Stranger Things and Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy was originally in the director’s chair. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator Rob McElhenney was then tapped but ultimately fell out. After him was Peter Sollett (Metal Lords), and finally, the studio landed the main creative team with Hidden Figures writer Allison Schroeder and director Jared Hess, best known for Napoleon Dynomite.
The newest star to join the film has had a strong stance in the current era of video game adaptations. He played Bowser in the Super Mario Bros. Movie, delivering a new and familiar take on the iconic villain. He will also be in Eli Roth’s Borderlands movie as the endearing yet annoying robot Claptrap. The take on the Gearbox looter shooter will blast onto screens on August 9, 2024.
The narrative has changed for video game movies and TV shows. For TV, hits like Arcane, Castlevania, Twisted Metal, and The Last of Us gained an audience beyond gamers. Then we had hits on the big screen, most notably the Super Mario Bros. Movie and Five Nights at Freddy’s.
