The upcoming Minecraft movie just got a new star.
Funnyman Jack Black has signed on for the 2025 film, which will soon shoot in New Zealand, according to a Tuesday report from Variety.
Black, 54, joins Jason Momoa, who was cast in the Warner Bros film almost a year ago. Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks have supporting roles.
Jared Hess, of Napoleon Dynamite fame, is directing the film, which has been in development for almost a decade. Black and Hess previously worked together on the 2006 film Nacho Libre.
Few details have been released about the plot.
The project, a live-action version of the popular video game, is expected to hit theaters on April 4, 2025.
The upcoming Minecraft movie just got a new star. Funnyman Jack Black has signed on for the 2025 film, which will soon shoot in New Zealand, according to a Tuesday report from Variety. Seen on December 17 in LA
The project, a live-action adaptation of the hit video game, is expected to hit theaters on April 4, 2025.
The Minecraft video game debuted in 2011, created by Swedish game designer Markus Persson and developed by Mojang Studios
Black is best known for his Jumanji and Kung Fu Panda films, as well as his early hits High Fidelity and Saving Silverman.
The Minecraft video game debuted in 2011, created by Swedish game designer Markus Persson and developed by Mojang Studios.
It is one of the best-selling video games in history and has more than 140 million monthly users.
The unconventional game has no specific goals, although it allows users to create worlds through blocks as they try to survive in the worlds they create.
The game became an instant sensation leading to Microsoft's acquisition of Mojang in 2014 for a whopping $2.5 billion.
There have been a number of spin-offs, such as Minecraft: Story Mode with Telltale Studios in 2014, Minecraft Earth in 2019 and Minecraft Dungeons in 2020.
Shortly after its release, a number of filmmakers and producers expressed interest, but Mojang CEO Carl Manneh said in an interview that they would only pursue it “if the right idea comes along.”
Black is best known for his Jumanji and Kung Fu Panda films, as well as his early hits High Fidelity and Saving Silverman. Seen in 2013
Creator Persson revealed that Mojang was in talks with Warner Bros. for a Minecraft movie, with Shawn Levy (Free Guy) set to direct the film from a script by Jason Fuchs (Wonder Woman).
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star/co-creator Rob McElhenney came on board to direct in 2015, with Steve Carell set to star.
Early production began in 2016, but that progress was halted when then-Warner Bros. CEO Greg Silverman resigned and was replaced by Toby Emmerich.
Black, 54, joins Jason Momoa, who was cast in the Warner Bros film almost a year ago. Seen on December 11 in London
Emma Myers and Danielle Brooks have supporting roles
Reports claimed that Emmerich had a 'different vision' for the film, with McElhenney leaving the project in 2018.
Aaron and Adam Nee (The Lost City) came on board to replace McElhenney and Fuchs in 2018, although they were replaced by Peter Sollett in 2019, with the studio setting a release date of March 4, 2022.
That incarnation never got off the ground as the project was put on hold due to COVID-19, though it now appears the studio is ready to move forward with Minecraft again, though no details were given about the story or Momoa's character.
Mary Parent and Roy Lee (Dune) will produce, while Jill Messick will also receive a posthumous production credit for her work on the film before her death in 2018.