After months of radio silence, we’ve finally received more news surrounding the live-action Minecraft film, with star actor Jack Black reportedly set to play Steve, who is arguably the face of the immensely popular building game.
The Kung Fu Panda and The Super Mario Bros. Movie actor was reported to have joined the 2024 project in a Deadline exclusive late on Jan. 2. He joins the likes of Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, and Danielle Brooks in bringing Minecraft’s characters to life on the big screen. This will be the second video game film role for Black this year, with the star already locked in to appear in Lionsgate’s Borderlands set to release in August.
According to Deadline, the plot of the film is being kept close to the writers’ chests but it appears certain Black will take on the role of Steve. Steve was one of the nine default player characters available when Minecraft first launched over a decade ago, and often appears in any marketing and promotional material. Plenty of crossovers with other games have seen Steve pop up in many a franchise, including Super Smash Bros., Borderlands, and Super Meat Boy.
Black is no stranger to the world of gaming; apart from playing Bowser in 2023’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie and his upcoming role in Borderlands, has also appeared in two Jumanji films and voiced numerous roles in games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Psychonauts 2. Black has also shown his love for gaming via his YouTube channel Jablinski Games, where he vlogs about and plays various classic and modern titles.
Black will reunite with director Jared Hess for the Minecraft film after 2006’s Nacho Libre, with Hess also known for 2004’s Napoleon Dynamite. The as-yet-untitled Minecraft movie has not yet been dated but fans will likely need to wait until at least 2025 before watching Momoa and Black take on the virtual building-blocks world.
Just what they’ll get up to is a mystery but if we don’t see Black rip a Tenacious D-like chorus while mining for diamonds, I’m calling it a very big missed opportunity.