The much-awaited 2023 release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie has proven to be a huge hit for the movie calendar. Not only did it dominate theaters, but it also became the highest-grossing video game film ever made, thanks to its billion-dollar box office success. Beyond the big screen, the movie left a lasting impression on the charts owing to its catchy soundtrack.
Sung by Jack Black, Peaches is one of the album’s standout tracks. Unfortunately, the hugely successful song was shockingly left off of the Best Original Song Oscar nomination list, leading many to wonder about the Academy’s taste in music.
However, not all hope is lost; Black, 54, is set to star in the upcoming Minecraft film, and he is optimistic about its success and possibly can win an Oscar for this. Mojang Studios’ Minecraft is the newest video game to get a live-action adaptation, and it is slated to hit theaters on April 4, 2025.
Jack Black’s Oscar Aspirations for Minecraft Film
Jack Black has been immersing himself in the video game Minecraft as much as possible to improve his performance in the forthcoming live-action version of that world. The Grammy winner is expected to play Steve, one of the main playable characters of the video game Minecraft.
Black discussed the new video game adaptation and his role in it in an interview with IGN. He explained that he had been playing Minecraft constantly for almost two months at this point and shared some helpful takeaways from the experience:
“An actor prepares, so, I have literally been exclusive to Minecraft for the last month and a half. All Minecraft, all the time. I’m in a little movie called Minecraft – I don’t want to brag, but it’s kind of a big deal. Just Stevin’ it up in the Minecraft universe… So, I studied hard, and I learned, and I was getting really into it, building houses and tunneling around. And now I’m getting back into it. It’s pretty rad.”
Black is apparently making a last-ditch effort to transfer a startlingly specific detail from the Minecraft games to the upcoming film adaptation, with Jason Momoa, along for the ride.
When speaking with Black about Kung Fu Panda 4, GamesRadar+ brought up his earlier interview, in which he stated that he likes to play Xbox to relax. After that, the tabloid directly asked him if, considering his recent projects, he had had a chance to revisit Minecraft. He responded as follows:
“Oh, you know I’m playing Minecraft all the time. Whenever I’m not filming I’m playing Minecraft because an actor prepares. I like to be in that Minecraft headspace. I like to know the rules, and I like to get little, like, things like, ‘Oh, in the game you pickaxe like this. You hit stuff like that,’ then I do that in the movie. I think the members of the Academy will appreciate my research later. I don’t want to jinx it, but I’m pretty sure I’m getting an Oscar for this one…”
Given that his song Peaches was passed over for an Oscar, it is hard to shake the déjà vu feeling. Nonetheless, with the shadow of The Super Mario Bros Movie looming large, there is reason to be optimistic about the Minecraft film.
Little is known about the adaptation other than the fact that it will be live-action and that Jared Hess, 44, who previously collaborated with Black on Nacho Libre, is helming it.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s Oscar Mishap: What Went Wrong?
The song Peaches, sung by Jack Black as Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, is incredibly beautiful with catchy lyrics and an appealing melody, but it was not nominated for an Oscar.
Deadline earlier revealed the Original Song shortlist, which includes 15 songs from previous year’s films that were competing to be nominated for the prestigious award. Peaches became well-known after Black’s appearance in the hugely successful The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The song peaked at number 100 on the Billboard chart.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Black stated that he has not received any money from the popularity of his song Peaches.
Critics gave the animated adventure comedy film varying reviews when it was first released. With a $1.36 billion global gross, the movie shattered several box office records, becoming the highest-grossing video game film and having the largest opening weekend ever for an animated picture. Plus, it is the first video game-based movie to make more than $1 billion at the box office. The sequel is slated for release on April 3, 2026.
Meanwhile, Minecraft is set to be released on April 4, 2025.
Stream The Super Mario Bros. Movie on Netflix.
