Jack Black has joined the cast of “Minecraft,” a live-action adaptation of the popular video game.
As previously announced, Jason Momoa is starring in the movie alongside “Wednesday’s” Emma Myers and “The Color Purple” actor Danielle Brooks. Production is expected to begin imminently in New Zealand.
“Napoleon Dynamite” filmmaker Jared Hess, who previously worked with Black on the 2006 comedy “Nacho Libre,” is directing the project. Warner Bros. and Legendary are backing “Minecraft,” which is slated to open in theaters on April 4, 2025.
It’s unclear what the “Minecraft” movie will be about, or who is writing the screenplay. A film version of the game has been in the works for years, with Shawn Levy, Rob McElhenney and Peter Sollett all at one point in talks to direct.
“Minecraft,” which debuted in 2011, is one of the best-selling video games in history and boasts more than 140 million monthly users. The sandbox-style game allows players to use colorful blocks to create 3D worlds. It has also spawned numerous spinoffs, like “Minecraft: Story Mode,” “Minecraft Earth,” “Minecraft Dungeons” and “Minecraft Legends.” Mojang Studios, the Swedish developer behind the game, was acquired by Microsoft in 2014 and will serve as a producer on the movie adaptation.
Black has seemingly become Hollywood’s choice actor for game-to-screen stories, having starred in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Jumanji: The Next Level” and Lionsgate’s upcoming “Borderlands.” Up next, he’s reprising his voice role as Po in Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s comedy “Kung Fu Panda 4,” which lands on the big screen on March 8.
Deadline first reported the news of Black’s casting.