Actor Jack Black performs at the live ABC Telecast of The 87th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 22, 2015. Photo: Michael Yada / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.
Preview:
- Jack Black is the newest actor joining the ‘Minecraft’ movie.
- Jason Momoa is starring in the film.
- Jared Hess will direct the film, with shooting starting shortly.
He was part of the voice cast for one of last year’s biggest hits, ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’, playing the villainous –– and musical –– Bowser. It looks like Jack Black is ready to stay with the videogame adaptation genre, as Deadline reports that he’s joining Jason Momoa in the ‘Minecraft’ movie.
While Deadline could dig up no details on the story, we do know that Jared Hess is in the director’s chair and shooting is scheduled to start this month in New Zealand.
The malevolent Ender Dragon sets out on a path of destruction, prompting a young girl and her group of unlikely adventurers to set out to save the Overworld. Read the Plot
What is ‘Minecraft’?
Minecraft game from Mojang Studios.
If you’re not in the game’s target audience, allow us to brief you on the basics… The game, from Swedish developer Mojang AB, allows you to create and shape an entire world, and by 2014 had sold more than 35 million copies across PCs, the Xbox 360, and mobile platforms. Much like with Lego, the only stories here are those created by users, who can choose whether to explore, create or fight with each other. There are also nocturnal monsters stalking the place, which you must deal with. It reached 100 million users just a few years after launch and helping spark Microsoft to acquire Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014.
Since then, it hasn’t been quite as much in the pop cultural zeitgeist (the likes of ‘Fortnite’ have tended to dominate), but it’s recognizable intellectual property.
Related Article: Jason Momoa’s ‘Minecraft’ Adds ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ Matt Berry
What has happened with the development of the movie adaptation so far?
Jason Momoa in ‘Superpowered: The DC Story.’ Photograph by Courtesy of Max/Warner Bros.
Around the time of the Microsoft purchase, Warners entered talks with prolific producer and director Shawn Levy, but his packed scheduled and slow development on the movie meant he never ended up in the director’s chair.
After Levy came ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ co-creator and self-avowed ‘Minecraft’ fan Rob McElhenney was next in line as director when the movie was still being planned as an animated release. He, like Levy, appears to have been the victim of scheduling, and has focused his video game-loving energies on co-creating and starring in Apple TV+’s ‘Mythic Quest’ series.
With ‘Wonder Woman’s Jason Fuchs sticking around for script work, the movie then targeted Steve Carell as a potential star but… well… you can guess what happened.
The most recent time that ‘Minecraft’ news showed up, it was with ‘Raising Victor Vargas’ Peter Sollett writing and directing. But with Jared Hess in charge, it appears to be finally getting in gear.
Which is a good thing, since ‘Minecraft’ is currently scheduled for release on April 4th, 2025.
Who else is in ‘Minecraft’?
(L to R) Danielle Brooks as Sophia and Corey Hawkins as Harpo in Warner Bros. Pictures’ bold new take on a classic,’The Color Purple,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
The cast for the movie also includes Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Matt Berry and Sebastian Eugene Hansen.
Jack Black: Other Videogame-Based Work
‘Mario’ and ‘Minecraft’ are not the only game adaptation that Black is part of –– he’ll be heard this year as robotic goofball Claptrap in the movie based on the ‘Borderlands’ game. That one will be in cinemas on August 9th.
Lionsgate’s ‘Borderlands.’
Discussion about this post