When Jack Black got the call to star in the Minecraft movie, the perks were plenty. He got to work alongside Jason Momoa, reunite with Nacho Libre director Jared Hess and engulf himself in the gaming universe.
But before agreeing, Jack turned to the real decision-makers: his sons, who are avid Minecraft players. They didn’t just give their approval, but practically begged him to take the role.
Like his sons, Jack had noticed the buzz since the release announcement of A Minecraft Movie, which hits theaters on Friday. The actor was already familiar with the video game, having played it occasionally with his sons while preparing for the live-action adaptation.
(Also read: A Minecraft Movie trailer confuses fans with a mismatched cast of Jason Momoa, Jack Black & Jennifer Coolidge; watch)
Black prepared for the role while playing with sons
“My boys were playing it, and I wanted to speak their language,” said Jack, who stars as the main protagonist Steve, who becomes an expert Minecrafter after being sucked into the Overworld dimension. His character eventually teams ups with a band of misfits who are mysteriously pulled through a portal into this new realm by a cubic object that thrives on imagination.
The film also stars Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Coolidge and Sebastian Hansen.
Before his character found himself in the Overworld, Jack immersed himself in the Minecraft gaming world alongside his sons. He spent over 100 hours playing the game while on set.
“I put the work in,” he said. “You got to put the days of work in. Watch YouTube videos to get some tips on how to survive that first night in the Overworld. I was pretty versed in it.”
What’s the craze behind Minecraft?
After Minecraft’s 2009 release, it took only two years to reach a million players. Since then, it has sold over 235 million copies across various gaming platforms, cementing its status as a global phenomenon with its blend of creativity, exploration and survival elements.
The game’s open-ended design lets players carve out their own experience, whether it’s surviving against mobs, mining for resources, farming or using block-based structures to craft artistic masterpieces. It has also fostered a thriving multiplayer community where players collaborate to build their worlds together, while its educational applications extend to coding, architecture and problem solving.
At its core, Minecraft is a limitless digital sandbox, where imagination transforms simple blocks into everything from cozy homes to sprawling cities. Minecraft creators’ gameplay videos have generated millions of pageviews on YouTube.