Super Mario Bros Movie MVP Jack Black Heads To The Minecraft Movie With Jason Momoa
Even if you walked away from "The Super Mario Bros." disappointed in the flimsy story, there's one element that succeeded in spite of the movie's shortcomings: Jack Black as the diabolical villain Bowser. The "School of Rock" star brought his magnificent voice to the spike-shelled bad guy who has always been tormenting Mario, Luigi, Peach, the Mushroom Kingdom, and beyond. Black even got to belt out a ballad about Bowser's love for Peach in a scene-stealing musical sequence that is easily the best part of the entire movie. Now, he's gearing up to join another promising video game movie.
Deadline reports that Warner Bros. Pictures, Vertigo, and Legendary are close to starting production on the "Minecraft" movie, adapting the hit sandbox world video game from Mojang Studios, and Jack Black is taking one of the lead roles alongside "Aquaman" star Jason Momoa.
In "Minecraft," players enter a world comprised of blocks, making the world look like a 3D, pixelated video game that encourages exploration, imagination, and community. The game lets players build everything from houses and cities to weapons and even complex mechanical devices, not unlike playing with digital LEGO bricks. You can either play survival mode, where players have to forage for food and supplies while fending off enemies with weapons like swords and pickaxes, or creative mode, where players can build whatever they want without the threat of being attacked.
Considering the open world concept and lack of an overarching narrative, how will "Minecraft" translate to the big screen? That's unclear for now, as the plot remains under wraps. In fact, the writing credits for the movie have yet to be determined. So far, all we know is that "Napoleon Dynamite" co-director Jared Hess will be at the helm of the film, which is being produced by Roy Lee, Jon Berg, Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Momoa, Torfi Frans Olafsson, Vu Bui and the late Jill Messick, with Todd Hallowell, Kayleen Walters, Brian Mendoza and Jonathan Spaihts on board as executive producers.
Jack Black is Steve!
However, even though we don't know the plot for the "Minecraft" movie, or how they plan to translate the game's unique visual style into a live-action world, we do know who Black will be playing in the film. The actor will have the role of Steve, who is a prominent avatar that players can control in the game.
Steve, seen above with his trusty pickaxe, doesn't actually have a backstory in the "Minecraft" universe, as he's intended to be a customizable avatar that represents the player, so we're not sure what to expect from Black's take on the character. If anything that creates an opportunity for Black to really cut loose as Steve. But that does make us wonder who Jason Momoa is playing, since one would assume Steve to be the main character. Other cast members in the "Minecraft" movie include Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, and Sebastian Eugene Hansen, though it's not clear who they'll be playing either.
Black is on a streak of video game roles, as he also has a role in the forthcoming "Borderlands" movie, based on the video game of the same name. If Black can bring the same kind of energy that he brought to "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," then hopefully he'll help these video game adaptations hit at the box office. With production on "Minecraft" getting close, we're bound to hear more details about the movie, so stay tuned.