Minecraft movie cast and release date as Jack Black is confirmed to star

Get ready crafters because the iconic videogame Minecraft is coming to a cinema near you, though you won't be expected to build any forts while you watch it.

The video game franchise first launched in 2009 and became an instant sensation thanks to the wealth of imagination it inspired within the survival sandbox format. It's the best-selling video game of all time, has inspired multiple books, endless merchandise, incredible amounts of YouTube content and, now, a movie.

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The forthcoming film has been gaining a lot of buzz as of late, particularly thanks to new information that has been revealed by Microsoft, which acquired the creators of Minecraft, Mojang Studios, in 2014.

Here is everything that you need to know about the Minecraft movie.

Who is starring in the Minecraft movie?

Jack Black will play the lead role of Steve in the Minecraft movie.

The actor confirmed his casting by sharing a photo on Instagram where he was reading a how-to guide for the game with the caption "an actor prepares".

According to a report from Deadline, Steve is the primary playable character within Minecraft.

The actor will be joining Jason Momoa in the cast. The Aquaman star was the first to be attached to the project which will be directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite). The White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge will also appear in the movie, alongside Barbie and Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon and one-half of the Flight of the Conchords duo Jemaine Clement.

Other cast members include Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Eugene Hansen, and Emma Myers although nothing is currently known about what roles they'll be playing beyond Black's Steve character.

When will the Minecraft movie be released?

The Minecraft movie is set to be released in cinemas on 4 April, 2025. It's had a long road to the big screen, with changes in directors and delays because of the Covid pandemic and actor's and writer's strikes leading the film's production to be pushed back, and thus for its release to be moved on multiple occasions.

The film was first announced in 2014, with big names like Shawn Levy, Rob McElhenney and Peter Sollett attached to direct over the years, before it had begun pre-production.

What is the plot of the Minecraft movie?

The plot for the Minecraft movie is being kept under lock and key, so there is not much that is known about the narrative it will follow. Given the game's open world nature and the freedom that gamers have to play the game however they choose it is hard to discern exactly what the story could entail.

Is there a trailer for the Minecraft movie?

As production has not yet begun on the Minecraft movie there's no footage to speak of, meaning there is not yet a trailer for the film. Once production has finished it is likely that viewers will be given their first look at the film.

The Minecraft movie will be released in cinemas on 4 April, 2025.

Watch: A trailer for Minecraft