Jack Black went as “method as it gets” according to the director of the forthcoming live-action Minecraft film.
The star, who plays the pixelated character Steve in the movie, totally immersed himself in the popular video game whenever he got the chance.
The film’s director, Jared Hess told IGN: “He was in his trailer anytime he had a break; he was just slaying it in the Overworld. [The producer and Minecraft senior director Torfi Frans Olafsson] put together a special server just for the crew.
“Jack got obsessed with searching for lapis lazuli, as he calls it. I mean, every day, it was like, I’d pop in there to go over the scene in the morning, and he would be dressed as Steve playing the game. It was kind of a surreal thing to behold.”
“He’s like an empty page you write your story on,” Olafsson added. “But that was also an opportunity. So casting Jack Black as Steve, maybe you hadn’t imagined Jack Black as Steve, but this is the Steve who is Jack Black, if you know what I mean.
“Because I’m Steve, and you’re Steve, and Jared’s Steve, and everybody has been Steve, and this one is the Jack Black Steve. For him, we felt that he should have the joy, curiosity, fun, and humour that we have seen in the Minecraft community over the years, like through YouTube videos and all of their creations.”
The first trailer for A Minecraft Movie, which also stars Jason Momoa, alongside Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Eugene Hansen and Jennifer Coolidge, dropped in September.
According to a synopsis, the film will see “four misfits” being “suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination”.
“To get back home, they’ll have to master this world (and protect it from evil things like Piglins and Zombies, too) while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve.”
It is set to be released in cinemas on April 4, 2025.
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