Minecraft will receive its big movie for cinemas at the beginning of April 2025. Jack Black plays the protagonist Steve. For the role, he practiced a lot on set, spending countless hours in the game and hoarding a specific material.
What is the movie about? Video game adaptations have been quite good in recent years. Just think of adaptations of The Last of Us, Dungeons & Dragons, or Arcane.
Minecraft will receive its own cinema movie on April 3, 2025. Jack Black plays the lead role of Steve. Even before its release, the film faced a lot of criticism from fans.
They were particularly bothered by the look and the casting of the film. For some, it seemed from the trailer that Jack Black was just playing himself. And they might not be entirely wrong.
According to Torfi Frans Ólafsson, who works as a Senior Director at Mojang, the audience should expect a new version of the character (via Variety): “This is not my Steve or your Steve. This is Jack Black’s Steve. It is literally his interpretation of this character and what it means to him.”
As it turns out, the actor put a lot of energy into the role and diligently practiced on set. However, not in the way one might initially think.
A crafting material particularly fascinated Jack Black
How did the actor practice? Ólafsson mentioned that he provided all cast members with Xbox consoles with Minecraft during filming.
Jack Black was the one with the most passion, quickly gathering over 100 hours of gameplay. Not only was he very enthusiastic about Minecraft and exploring the world, he also developed a particular fascination for a crafting material.
We are talking about lapis lazuli, a substance obtained by mining the corresponding ore. From it, blue dye can be manufactured, and it is also suitable for enchanting.
Ólafsson describes Black’s behavior while playing as follows:
He was completely manic, hoarding items in the mines and searching for lapis lazuli because he liked the sound. He kept saying, “Can I talk about lapis lazuli in the movie?”
Torfi Frans Ólafsson via Variety
Whether the screenwriters took up this request and actually included a line about the valuable material can only be confirmed upon the film’s release.
What is certain, however, is that Jack Black was apparently very motivated to engage with the character and the world of Minecraft. Perhaps this reassures some fans who are anxiously anticipating the film’s release on April 3, 2025. But what does the creator of the game say about the film: “I expected worse”: The creator of Minecraft has his own opinion on the film, which many already hate
