Kirsten Dunst has joined Minecraft 2 as Alex, the fan-favorite playable character from the games and the counterpart to Steve, who is played by Jack Black in the movies. Current reporting also says Jared Hess is returning to direct, with the sequel set for release on July 23, 2027.
Kirsten Dunst joins Minecraft 2 as Alex
Alex is one of the main playable characters from Minecraft and stands alongside Steve as one of the most recognizable faces of the game. That makes Dunst’s casting a big addition for the sequel, especially with Steve already established in the first movie through Jack Black. IMDb’s sequel logline says Steve and Alex will venture further into the Overworld, where they discover unexplored territories and face new challenges.
Jared Hess returns with key cast coming back
Minecraft 2 is bringing back Jared Hess as director. Reports also say the returning cast includes Jason Momoa, Jack Black, Danielle Brooks, Matt Berry, and Jennifer Coolidge. The movie is currently dated for theatrical release on July 23, 2027.
The first movie was a massive box office hit
The sequel is not a surprise considering how big A Minecraft Movie turned out to be. Box Office Mojo lists the film with $424.1 million domestic and $961.2 million worldwide, which put it at No. 5 on the 2025 worldwide chart. It also finished as the top domestic release of 2025.
What happened in the first movie
The first movie followed four misfits who were pulled through a mysterious portal into the cubic Overworld, where imagination is the key to survival. With Steve helping guide them, the group had to learn how to build, craft, and fight their way through the strange new land while facing threats connected to the Nether and its piglin ruler.
That basic setup gave the movie a way to bring Minecraft’s sandbox gameplay to life, mixing the real world with the Overworld and turning Steve into the central guide for the adventure. Now the sequel looks ready to expand that by pairing Steve with Alex and sending them deeper into Minecraft territory.
Alex and Steve finally team up
For Minecraft fans, the biggest hook here is obvious. Steve and Alex are the game’s signature playable duo, and the sequel is finally putting both of them front and center. With Dunst stepping in as Alex, the movie now has a clear way to build on the iconography of the games instead of relying only on Steve.
That also suggests Minecraft 2 could lean harder into the game itself, with more Overworld exploration, more recognizable locations, and more of the classic character dynamic that players know from the source material. Plot details are still mostly being kept under wraps, but the setup already sounds more directly tied to Minecraft’s core characters.
Release date
Minecraft 2 will be released in theaters on July 23, 2027.
