Matt Berry Joins Jason Momoa in ‘Minecraft’

‘Napoleon Dynamite’s Jared Hess is directing the latest version of the long-gestating game adaptation, which Warner Bros. is still shepherding to screens.

Matt Berry in Hulu's 'Great Expectations.' Photo: Miya Mizuno/FX.

Way back in April last year, it was reported that Jason Momoa –– currently making a big impact as the crazed villain Dante in ‘Fast X’ –– was in talks to star in Warner Bros.’ movie adaptation of the ‘Minecraft’ game.

A Minecraft Movie

"Be there and be square."

Not Yet RatedApr 4th, 2025

Four misfits find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland... Read the Plot

He’s still aboard, and the cast of the movie is expanding by one to encompass British comedian and actor Matt Berry, who Deadline reports has joined the movie in an undisclosed role.

Much of the movie itself is a mystery for now, though Allison Schroeder and Peter Sollett are currently credited with the screenplay.

Unless you have kids or know kids, you might have let the details of what ‘Minecraft’ exactly is slip from your mind. So, allow us to help…

Minecraft game from Mojang Studios.

What exactly is ‘Minecraft’?

The game, from Swedish developer Mojang AB, allows you to create and shape an entire world, and by 2014 had sold more than 35 million copies across PCs, the Xbox 360, and mobile platforms. Much like with Lego, the only stories are those created by users, who can choose whether to explore, create or fight with each other. There are also nocturnal monsters stalking the place, which you must deal with. It reached 100 million users just a few years after launch and helping spark Microsoft to acquire Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014.

Since then, it hasn’t been quite as much in the pop cultural zeitgeist (the likes of ‘Fortnite’ have tended to dominate), but it’s recognizable intellectual property, and, linked to a known name like Momoa, it’s the sort of the concept studios will grab for when times are good.

Jason Momoa as Dante in 'Fast X', directed by Louis Leterrier.

‘Minecraft’s development so far

Around the time of the Microsoft purchase, Warners entered talks with prolific producer and director Shawn Levy, but his packed scheduled and slow development on the movie meant he never ended up in the director’s chair.

After Levy came ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ co-creator and self-avowed ‘Minecraft’ fan Rob McElhenney was next in line as director when the movie was still being planned as an animated release. He, like Levy, became the victim of scheduling, and has focused his video game-loving energies on co-creating and starring in Apple TV+’s ‘Mythic Quest’ series.

At the same time that Momoa jumped aboard, ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ director Jared Hess was hired to make the movie.

As for Berry, he’s best known to American audiences for his role as drunken, sex-obsessed vampire Laszlo Cravensworth in FX comedy series ‘What We Do in the Shadows’. He’s also recently cropped up on the new Dickens adaptation ‘Great Expectations’ and has lent his recognizable, booming voice to a new animated movie, ‘The Inventor’, which has been released in France but is still awaiting a US date.

‘Minecraft’ should be digging its way to theaters on April 4th, 2025.