Jack Black has joined the cast of the Warner Bros. Minecraft movie starring Jason Momoa. Minecraft is the best-selling video game in history with more than 300 million copies sold since its official release in 2011.
According to Deadline, Jack Black plays Steve, the Minecraft video game’s default skin. In addition to Momoa and Black, Minecraft also stars Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, and Sebastian Eugene Hansen. No word yet about the plot of Minecraft or who will write the movie adaptation.
Jack Black played the villain Bowser (pictured, below) in another movie adaptation of a video game, The Super Mario Bros. Movie — the second highest-grossing movie of 2023 with a worldwide box office gross of $1.36 billion.
Jack Black Is an Avid Gamer and Minecraft Player
Jack Black has his own YouTube channel that features a mix of gaming and music content. Speaking with BBC gaming correspondent Steffan Powell, Jack Black revealed that he plays a range of video games, from Minecraft to Doom. “In the future, film and television are going to keep going towards using the stories told in video games, because that market seems to be growing and growing exponentially,” said Black. “The TV and film industries seem to be seeing a little bit of shrinkage. It will be interesting to see what happens to the entertainment industry over the next 20 to 30 years, but I think we will be seeing more storytelling from the gaming universe.”
Jack Black said that he is a fan of movie and TV adaptations of video games when they are done right, such as with The Last of Us. He continued:
“I’m a fan of adaptations, when done right.
“The Last of Us was fantastic. And what’s crazy is how loyal it is to the original source material. It’s basically all from the game with just a couple of tweaks. It’s going to win all the awards.
“They used the video game almost like a storyboard and I was like, ‘Whoa, this looks just the same.’
“And there are some great games that have yet to be explored in television or film. Maybe there’s going to be a Red Dead Redemption movie? There should be, because I think that [has] just as good or [an] even better story than The Last of Us.”
Before Minecraft drops in theaters, Jack Black reprises his voice role as Po in the animated sequel Kung Fu Panda 4, which premieres in theaters nationwide on March 8, 2024.
