Jack Black Joins Cast of MINECRAFT Movie

Published: January 4, 2024

Jack Black Joins Cast of MINECRAFT Movie

By Movieguide® Contributor

Variety just confirmed that KUNG FU PANDA and NACHO LIBRE actor Jack Black joined the cast of the new MINECRAFT movie alongside Jason Momoa.

Black will also join “WEDNESDAY’S Emma Myers and THE COLOR PURPLE actor Danielle Brooks. Production is expected to begin imminently in New Zealand,” Variety reported.

“The Mojang sandbox title is the bestselling video game of all time, with 300 million copies sold and nearly 140M monthly active players,” Deadline reported.

“NAPOLEON DYNAMITE filmmaker Jared Hess, who previously worked with Black on the 2006 comedy NACHO LIBRE, is directing the project,” Variety said. “Warner Bros. and Legendary are backing MINECRAFT.”

Though the actors and director are confirmed, little else is known about the plot or direction of the movie. The writers’ names have also not yet been revealed, nor has the target audience.

But as children and adults both enjoy Minecraft, it’s possible it could be a family movie. And it will certainly be more successful if it is. Video game movies like this have more success if they stay close to moral principles. The SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE, which Black also performed in, is an example of this.

Movieguide® reported:

The smash hit SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE leveled up again, after breaking the $500M mark at the global box office—becoming the highest grossing movie of 2023 and highest grossing video game adaptation.

The animated adventure surpassed ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA for the top spot. The movie’s box office success has also placed it as the second highest-grossing animated movie since 2019, behind MINIONS: RISE OF GRU ($942.5M), a peak it is likely to surpass as it continues to perform well in theaters…

The movie’s family-friendly approach the video game adaptation put it at advantage against other, more violent adaptations like WARCRAFT. THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE is the latest example of why moral, uplifting movies succeed at the box office.

The Daily Mail reported that MINECRAFT will be live-action and will come to theaters on April 4, 2025.