The Minecraft movie from Warner Bros., Vertigo and Legendary has added Jack Black to its cast. According to Deadline, the veteran comedy actor will be playing the iconic role of Steve, the same Minecraft character who is not only the face of the franchise, but has also previously appeared as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Also starring in Minecraft are Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks and Sebastian Eugene Hansen. Producers include Roy Lee, Jon Berg, Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Momoa, Torfi Frans Olafsson, Vu Bui and the late Jill Messick. EPs are Todd Hallowell, Kayleen Walters, Brian Mendoza and Jonathan Spaihts.

Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess, who previously worked with Black on the 2006 comedy Nacho Libre, is directing the Minecraft movie.

This won’t be Jack Black’s first foray into video game movies. He was famously the voice of Bowser in Illumination and Universal’s The Super Mario Bros Movie, which made a whopping US$1.36 billion worldwide. Jack Black will also reprise the role of Po in the upcoming DreamWorks Animation feature Kung Fu Panda 4, which will premiere in March 2024. That’s not all, as he will also be starring in Lionsgate’s Borderlands movie, which will premiere in August 2024.

The Minecraft movie will premiere in April 2025.

Developed by Mojang Studios, the Minecraft franchise is currently the most popular it’s arguably ever been, with several spinoffs, including most recently the RTS game Minecraft Legends, which launched for the PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Xbox Game Pass on 18 April 2023.