In what feels like a perfect, full-circle moment, Kirsten Dunst has been cast in the new Minecraft movie sequel as Alex, one of the game’s most recognizable avatars. While the announcement drew quick reactions online, it also echoed something Dunst herself said in an interview not long ago.
Last year, the actress floated the idea of joining a big, commercial project, mentioning Minecraft's sequel as an example. Now, that hypothetical turned into a real casting decision.
A casting choice that traced back to Dunst’s own comments
In a 2025 interview with Town & Country magazine to promote Roofman, Dunst suggested she might want a role in a major franchise. Specifically, she pointed to a Minecraft sequel as a possibility. She told the interviewer that her kids loved the first film, so it would be an easy one to say yes to. She added, "Maybe I can just make a movie where I don’t lose money?"
Apparently someone working on production was listening, as Dunst joins the project. She will be stepping into the role of Alex and joining returning cast members like Jason Momoa and Jack Black. The original film had already teased Alex in a post-credits scene. However, it never showed her face, which left room for speculation (and recasting). Consequently, some fans initially wondered whether Dunst’s casting counted as a recast.
The character that Dunst will be playing entered the game more than a decade ago as a default female avatar. Developer Mojang Studios explained at the time that Steve alone did not reflect the diversity of players. In a now-deleted blog post from 2015, Mojang's Owen Hill wrote that while players "love Steve," the character "doesn't really represent the diversity of our playerbase."
He added that Alex "brings thinner arms, redder hair, and a ponytail; she actually looks a bit like [Minecraft designer Jens Bergensten] from certain angles."
One person on X, @bigmonkeong, wrote, "This might be the funniest casting I've ever seen."
Meanwhile, @jonathanmb32 added, "Looking through her filmography, this is basically the only time she’s worked on a big-budget movie outside of the Spider-Mans since she became an adult; after those three, the biggest-budget movie she worked on since 2000 (per Wikipedia) was Mona Lisa Smile at $72 million."
From Overworld adventures to blockbuster success
The first Minecraft movie followed a group of unlikely heroes pulled into the "Overworld." There, they navigated a cubic landscape filled with Piglins, Zombies, and creative challenges. Along the way, they teamed up with Steve, played by Black, to find their way home.
Although the premise leans quirky, audiences showed up in huge numbers. The film opened to $163 million domestically, setting a record for video game adaptations. It eventually climbed to nearly $1 billion globally. So to say that it would be an easy paycheck for Dunst would be an understatement.
The success of the first film made a sequel feel inevitable, and it is currently set to release on July 23, 2027.
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