Jack Black fever grips Thames as Minecraft Sequel film crews take over town

Tuesday, 19 May 2026

Hollywood A-lister Jack Black rolled up in his camper van to say hello to those watching the filming of the new Minecraft movie in Thames.

He might be driving a truck with a giant chook on top, but Jack Black is not one to chicken out from an opportunity to say hi to his fans in Thames.

The Coromandel town is synonymous with mining in New Zealand, so it is possibly appropriate that the famed actor and musician is there shooting scenes for the new Minecraft movie.

As with last year’s A Minecraft Movie, the follow-up - appropriately titled A Minecraft Sequel - has also involved the Warner Bros production’s crews making a recent return to Huntly.

The North Waikato town doubled as the fictional community of Chuglass, Idaho in the first film, and the Huntly Power Station also featured prominently.

Big crowds of school students and adults alike gathered to watch the filming in Victoria Park in Thames on Tuesday.

Now it is Thames’ turn to take on the role of a small US town.

On Tuesday a small crowd of fans had gathered at a cordon near Victoria Park - which had been festooned with gigantic props - to watch from afar as the film-makers captured Black in action amidst a host of Minecraft creatures.

Several Thames streets were blocked off and swarming with production staff for the filming of A Minecraft Sequel.

An onlooker, who asked not to be named, said she watched amazed as Black, who was behind the wheel of a camper van with a gigantic Minecraft chicken atop it, drove right up to the crowd to say hi.

A temporary feature in Victoria Park was this playground, made out of creatures known as ‘Iron Golems’. It is likely it will not be kept for use by the youngsters of Thames.

“Steve’s Lava Chicken” - literally chicken cooked in lava - was a memorable feature of the first film.

“They had been waiting there for quite a while and it was obvious they were all hoping to get a glimpse of one of the stars. Jack really obliged them. He came right up to them in the chicken truck and did a slow drive-by, yelling out ‘Hey, how’s it going?’

This ‘Creeper Garden’ in Victoria Park was another gigantic prop on the Minecraft Sequel set.

“All the phones were up in the air. Everyone was trying to trying to get a pic of it … He was asking about a drama group, so I think there was one from one of the local schools there.

“There were actually heaps of kids who had taken the day off school. I also saw a lot of movie stuff - trucks with big [film equipment] gear on them.

“After that a guy came up to the crowd and said they had finished filming for the day.”

Sightings of Black, who is reprising his leading role as Steve in the sequel, had been rife in the Coromandel community in recent days - however he is far from the only star in town.

Kirsten Dunst, who is joining the Minecraft ensemble as a new character, Alex - glimpsed briefly at the conclusion of the first film - co-star Jennifer Coolidge, and other Minecrafters dined out at the Gastronomics Restaurant Cafe and Bar in Pollen St on Monday night.

Fellow Minecraft actors Jason Momoa and Danielle Brooks are also known to be returning for the second film. However it is not yet known if the two younger stars from the first film - Emma Myers and Sebastian Hansen - will be back.

A Minecraft Sequel is scheduled to be released in July next year.