One movie role based on a popular video game simply isn’t enough for Jack Black. After voicing Bower in the billion-dollar-grossing The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and creating a year-long earworm with the “Peaches” track, Black has signed up to star in the upcoming Minecraft movie, joining star Jason Momoa.
Also in the Minecraft movie cast are Emma Myers, Sebastian Eugene Hansen, and The Color Purple‘s Danielle Brooks. The film will be directed by Jared Hess, who worked with Black previously on Nacho Libre. Black is said to be playing Steve, the most recognizable of the game’s default characters.
Shooting is set to begin soon in New Zealand, but Deadline notes that writing credits are still being figured out. For that reason, plot details remain unavailable. The film is a big-screen take on Microsoft’s record-breaking bestselling video game, which employs an open-world, sandbox structure. Minecraft has sold more copies than any game in history, surpassing Tetris, which also had its own movie released last year.
The Minecraft movie has been building for years. Previously, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s McElhenney was attached to direct, followed by Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist director Peter Sollett.
