It has been revealed that Jack Black’s lead role as Steve in A Minecraft Movie was actually supposed to go to What We Do in the Shadows star Matt Berry.
That’s right, British comedy legend Berry was supposed to place the default character from the Minecraft game. However, in the end, the star couldn’t do it due to scheduling conflicts after the Hollywood strikes, as reported by Puck.
This was a missed opportunity indeed, as A Minecraft Movie is currently the number 1 movie in the world, landing the biggest opening weekend for any video game adaptation in history. But it would have been impossible for Berry to lead the flick as he was busy shooting the last season of his hit FX vampire series from winter 2023 to spring 2024, which would have directly clashed with filming on A Minecraft Movie, which started in January 2024.
However, fans who have seen what is quickly becoming one of the best video game movies in theatres will know that the team managed to include Berry in one of the best A Minecraft Movie Easter eggs, references, and cameos. We won’t spoil how exactly the star appears in the movie here, but you can read more about it in our guide to A Minecraft Movie’s post-credits scene.
Of course, the role went to Jack Black. However, in an interview with GamesRadar+, the star told us that "Steve's a blank slate. I feel like it could have been almost any actor." But Black, who was a big fan of the game before signing onto the project, was ultimately overjoyed in landing the role, adding, "I loved that I got to play him and put my stamp on it."
The movie, directed by Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess, also stars Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Sebastian Hansen, and Jennifer Coolidge.
A Minecraft Movie is out now. For more on the movie, check out our A Minecraft Movie review or read our guide on A Minecraft Movie ending explained.
