Minor spoilers ahead for A Minecraft Movie.
The creative minds behind A Minecraft Movie shared with IGN that one of the film's most humorous scenes drew inspiration from The NeverEnding Story. In a standout moment, Jack Black's character, Steve, finds himself in a precarious situation, needing to ride on Jason Momoa's character, Garrett, due to a shortage of Elytra wings, which are only available for Garrett and Sebastian Hansen's character, Henry. This scene showcases Steve's comedic struggle to stay aloft, clinging to Garrett to avoid a perilous fall. However, the scene's roots go deeper than mere comedy.
"We definitely wanted to capture a Falkor moment from *The NeverEnding Story*—something majestic and beautiful, yet quickly turning chaotic," explained *A Minecraft Movie* director Jared Hess."It was hilarious during the breaks between takes," added producer Torfi Frans Ólafsson. "Jack was perched on Jason, and they were in this intricate rig... and Jack started singing The NeverEnding Story theme, treating Jason like he was riding Falkor."
This scene is a delightful nod to Jack Black's role as Slip in The NeverEnding Story 3, and it allowed Jason Momoa to play a significant part in its execution.
"I contributed to writing that scene, and Jack was all in," Momoa shared with a chuckle. "This was post-Top Gun: Maverick, so I wanted to incorporate a stunt where I could hit the brakes and have Jack slide off, then switch places. We were brainstorming this at the hotel, and it was just too good not to include in the movie."
Jack Black mentioned, "I'm not sure if it made the final cut because we filmed different versions of that scene, but it could have easily been rated R. Ultimately, we opted for a family-friendly approach!"
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Momoa also humorously reenacted their on-set dynamics (watch the video for a firsthand look!).
"Let my hips guide you! You can't just ride me like I'm majestic," Momoa exclaimed. "I was dying, man. I was dying."
For more insights, don't miss our review of A Minecraft Movie, details on the private server the team used during production, and an explanation of the film's ending and post-credits scene.