Dig this: Fast 10's Jason Momoa to star in the ‘Minecraft’ movie — yes, really

Whether he’s playing an intriguing villain role in the upcoming first installment of Fast & Furious 10, staring daggers into enemies as Game of Thrones’ Khal Drogo, or parting the waves as DC’s iconic undersea hero Arthur Curry, Jason Momoa has gotten into a groove of playing characters that carry a certain sense of mystery. But his next big casting move — eyeing a leading part in Warner Bros.’ in-development Minecraft movie —  may just be his most mysterious yet.

The Aquaman star is reportedly close to signing on for a key role in the live-action movie adaptation of the hugely popular pixelated crafting game, according to The Hollywood Reporter. There’s no early word, though, on whether Momoa would portray a new character in the film, or perhaps step into the role of existing Minecraft icons like Steve or Alex — player-avatar characters whose backstories have so far mostly remained concealed in the buried depths of Minecraft lore, despite their popularity as big-name crossovers in game franchises like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Whatever part Momoa ends up playing in Minecraft’s blocky big-screen adaptation, he’ll be doing it alongside a creative team led by director Jared Hess, one-half of the husband-and-wife directing team behind comedy hits like Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre, and Gentlemen Broncos. Minecraft video game studio Mojang is behind the project, which reportedly will be produced by Dune producer Mary Parent (Momoa played the role of Duncan Idaho in Dune’s first installment), as well as Roy Lee (Oldboy, Godzilla) and the late Jill Messick (Frida, Mean Girls).

Thanks to story events in last year’s Dune that we won’t spoil here, Momoa likely won’t be returning to that franchise anytime soon — or at least not for Dune: Part II. But 2022 is nevertheless shaping up to be a busy year for the beefy actor, with both Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and the first Fast 10 chapter set to arrive in the spring of 2023, as well as a third season of See at AppleTV+ — not to mention, of course, whatever part he’ll be playing in the Minecraft movie.

Momoa recently teased his Fast 10 character as a “very flamboyant bad boy” in what will mark his first-ever appearance in the Fast & Furious series. The first movie in the franchise’s two-film Fast 10 closing chapter is set to race into theaters on May 19 of next year.