Warning: This article contains spoilers for A Minecraft Movie
A Minecraft Movie was just released in theaters last weekend, but it has already become one of the highest-grossing movies of the year, earning the biggest opening weekend for any video game movie, and paying off a major recast. A Minecraft Movie has a star-studded cast, with the biggest name obviously being Jack Black as Steve, who acts as a guide for the rest of the cast as they journey through the Minecraft world. While Black was great, a different cast member, who wasn’t even a main character, managed to have one of the funniest scenes in the movie.
That actor was Matt Berry, who was cast in an undisclosed role before the release of the film. It turned out to be that he was one of the major cameos during one of A Minecraft Movie‘s post-credits scenes. He played a very small role in the film, but the fact that he appeared at all was actually a reference to some behind-the-scenes information about the project. A Minecraft Movie‘s reviews were mostly pretty mediocre, with a few bright spots, and Matt Berry’s inclusion was definitely one of them.
Matt Berry Cameos As Nitwit In A Minecraft Movie’s Credits
Berry Voices The Character For His Final Scene During The Credits
Matt Berry’s role in A Minecraft Movie was H๏τly anticipated before the release of the film, as he was cast in an undisclosed role months before the movie came out. At the end of A Minecraft Movie, Berry was revealed to be playing the Nitwit villager who fell in love with Jenniffer Coolidge’s character over the course of the story. While the main plot was about the main character’s adventures in the Minecraft world, that side plot was one of the funniest aspects of the film.
Berry is one of the funniest actors around today, and his inclusion in A Minecraft Movie was a perfect fit for the actor.
The main joke surrounding Berry’s Nitwit was the surprise reveal, as, while he was around for most of the movie’s runtime, he didn’t speak at all outside of the difficult-to-understand villager language, and the post-credits scene that revealed his voice came as a shock to many. Berry is one of the funniest actors around today, and his inclusion in A Minecraft Movie was a perfect fit for the actor, delivering a fun monologue with his distinctive voice and speech patterns.
Matt Berry Was Originally Going To Play Steve In A Minecraft Movie
He Was Cast During The Film’s Development, But Was Forced To Drop Out
A Minecraft Movie spent a lot of time in development, over 10 years, as the project was initially announced all the way back in 2014. The film went through many directors and actors during its years in development, with Rob McElhenney and Peter Sollett signed on to direct at different points, before Jared Hess was brought on as Minecraft‘s final director of the film in 2022. Jack Black was only added to the cast in January 2024, as before, Matt Berry was set to take on the iconic role.
Jack Black was originally going to play a small role as a pig in A Minecraft Movie, before he was thrust into the role of Steve when Matt Berry pulled out.
Berry’s casting wasn’t revealed until after the release of the movie, likely to avoid comparisons between Black and Berry before the release of the film. Jack Black’s performance was definitely a highlight of A Minecraft Movie, and the filmmakers certainly wanted to avoid people coming in with preconceived expectations about one of the leading roles. Apparently, Berry was set to take on Steve, but scheduling conflicts with the final season of What We Do in The Shadows forced him to leave the project.
A Minecraft Movie Including A Matt Berry Cameo Teases How Great His Steve Could’ve Been
The Actor Would’ve Been A Great Fit For The Role
While Warner Bros. likely wanted to avoid comparisons between the two actors, knowing that Berry could’ve taken on the part has invited plenty of speculation as to how he would’ve been as Steve. His Minecraft Easter Egg cameo as the Nitwit offered a glimpse into how he could’ve performed as Steve, and clearly, it would’ve been a great role for the actor. One similarity between Berry and Black is that they are extremely unique performers, and would both have brought something very specific to the character of Steve. Ultimately, however, the gamble recast paid off with the film’s success.
While Matt Berry’s voice performance as the Nitwit is obviously very different from what he would’ve done as Steve, it does serve as a fun glimpse into Berry’s potential in the film. His version of Minecraft Steve probably would’ve been a similarly bombastic character, but with the classic Matt Berry mannerisms and speech pattern. This development happened after the film’s script had already begun, so the character would probably remain similar to the way he appears in A Minecraft Movie.
