While there was a long stretch of time were most movies based on video games failed to hit with audiences, this particular subset of cinema has been experiencing greater fortune in recent years. Detective Pikachu, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mortal Kombat, Uncharted, Gran Turismo and The Super Mario Bros. Movie were all critically and/or commercially successful to one degree or another (that last one was a big contributor to 2023 being the best year for video game movies and TV shows ever), and now Minecraft, the best-selling video game of all time, is getting its chance to shine on the big screen.
It was announced in April 2022 that a film adaptation of the 3D survival sandbox game was finally moving forward after being in development since 2014. It will be directed by Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess, but the screenwriter hasn’t been identified yet. No story details have been revealed yet either for the upcoming Minecraft movie, which is shooting in New Zealand, but we do know many of the actors who will lend their talents to this feature exploring the blocky, three-dimensional world, including the likes of Jason Momoa and Jack Black. So let’s go over who’s been unveiled for the Minecraft cast so far.
Jason Momoa
Jason Momoa was the first actor to be revealed for Minecraft, entering final negotiations to join the upcoming video movie around the same time it finally started gaining steam at Warner Bros. Pictures. This keeps Momoa’s strong foothold over at the studio going, having previously played Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe and Duncan Idaho in Dune, and there are even rumblings of him playing Lobo in the new DC Universe continuity. Momoa’s Minecraft character hasn’t been named yet, but in addition to starring in the movie, he’s one of its producers.
Jack Black
Jack Black has been on one hell of a run lately with video game movies lately. He played the avatar Professor Shelly Oberon in the last two Jumanji movies, voiced Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and is portraying Claptrap as a member of the Borderlands cast, with that latter movie slated on the 2024 release schedule. Now we can also expect him to appear in Minecraft as a character named Steve, with Black seemingly confirming his casting shortly after his involvement was reported.
Danielle Brooks
Some of you might be familiar with Danielle Brook’s TV work on shows like Orange is the New Black and Peacemaker, while others might’ve been introduced to her on the big screen when she starred as Sofia in The Color Purple, a role she’s previously played on Broadway. Either way, now she’s getting to stretch her performing talents into the video game realm. Brooks will play someone named Dawn in the Minecraft film adaptation.
Sebastian Eugene Hansen
Sebastian Eugene Hansen is the youngest member of the Minecraft cast, but he’s already done quite well for himself in his short time professionally acting. He’s played the young Scott Landon in the miniseries Lisey’s Story (which can be streamed with an Apple TV+ subscription), and he also starred opposite Michael B. Jordan and Brie Larson in Just Mercy. Hansen will Henry in Minecraft, and although. we don’t know what to expect from him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being either the main protagonist, or at least something along the lines of the audience stand-in character.
Emma Myers
Emma Myers began her acting career as a child in 2010, but she really blew up in 2022 when she starred in Wednesday, the popular supernatural comedy horror show Netflix subscribers can stream, as Enid Sinclair, the werwolf roommate of Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams. Following Wednesday’s successful first season, she performed opposite Jennifer Garner in the Netflix movie Family Switch, and now she’s finally getting to make her blockbuster debut with Minecraft. Just like with Momoa, we don’t know the name of Myers’ character yet.
Jennifer Coolidge
Jennifer Coolidge has been around the acting block for decades now, with some of her biggest projects including the American Pie film series, the Legally Blonde movies, Best in Show, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Two Broke Girls. There’s no question, though, that her profile got a significant boost from her role as Tanya McQuoid in the first two seasons of HBO’s The White Lotus, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Minecraft is her next scheduled movie, but we don’t have any details about her character either.
Kate McKinnon
Barbie ended up being the most commercially-successful movie of 2023 and also one of the year’s most critically-acclaimed pieces of cinematic entertainment, and Kate McKinnon participated in this pop culture phenomenon as Weird Barbie, the doll who directed Margot Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie to travel to the real world. The Saturday Night Live alum, who also recently played Carole Baskin in Peacock's Joe vs. Carole miniseries, will stick around the Warner Bros. Space to appear in Minecraft, but we’ll have to wait to learn how she fits into the story.
Jemaine Clemen
Originally best known for comprising one half of Flight of the Concords with Bret McKenzie, Jemaine Clement has built an impressive filmography for himself that includes Despicable Me, Men in Black 3, What We Do in the Shadows, Moana and Avatar: The Way of Water, the latter of which saw him playing Dr. Ian Gavin. I'd be remiss if I also didn't mention his recurring role as Oliver Bird in the TV series Legion. In addition to reprising Ian in Avatar 3 and co-creating Apple TV+’s Time Bandits TV adaptation, we can also expect to see him playing a mystery role in Minecraft.
Minecraft is slated to be released in theaters on April 4, 2025, so keep checking back here to learn about the other actors who will join the above talent, as well as specific details about their roles. Meanwhile, if you’re interested in checking out Detective Pikachu and Mortal Kombat, two other video game movies hailing from Warner Bros. Pictures, those can be streamed with a Max subscription.
