**Minor spoilers ahead for A Minecraft Movie.**
The creative minds behind A Minecraft Movie shared an intriguing tidbit with IGN about one of the film's most hilarious scenes, which drew inspiration from the iconic film, The NeverEnding Story. In a memorable moment, Jack Black's character, Steve, finds himself in a precarious situation where he must ride on Jason Momoa's character, Garrett, due to a shortage of Elytra wings, with only enough for Garrett and Sebastian Hansen's Henry. This scene showcases Steve's frantic efforts to avoid a plummet from hundreds of feet, turning into a showcase of physical comedy.
Director Jared Hess explained, "We definitely wanted a Falkor moment from The Neverending Story that was both majestic and beautiful, but also one that goes south pretty quickly." This concept not only brought laughter but also a nostalgic nod to the beloved classic.
Producer Torfi Frans Ólafsson added to the humor, recounting, "It was so funny in between takes when they cut. Jack is sitting on top of Jason and they're in this complicated rig... and Jack starts singing, because he does that in between scenes, but he starts singing the words to The NeverEnding Story and riding him like he's riding Falkor." The connection is even more amusing given that Jack Black previously played Slip in The NeverEnding Story 3, adding a layer of meta-humor to the scene.
Jason Momoa, who played Garrett, was enthusiastic about the scene's development, sharing, "I got to participate in writing that, and this big guy [Jack Black] wanted to do it too. This was after Top Gun: Maverick came out, so I also wanted to be able to go into it and then hit the brakes and then have them slide down and I switcheroo on them. We were sitting there at the hotel dying about this idea of Jack and I doing this stunt and it made it [into the movie] and it's phenomenal."
Jack Black humorously noted the potential for the scene to veer into more adult territory, saying, "I don't know if it made it in the final cut because there were different versions of that scene, but it could have gone hard rated R. In the end, I think we made it family-friendly!"
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Momoa also humorously reenacted the dynamic between him and Jack Black on set, urging, "Let my hips guide you! You can't just ride me like I'm majestic. I was dying, man. I was dying."
For more insights, dive into our A Minecraft Movie review, discover how the team utilized a private server during the film's production, and explore our detailed breakdown of the film's ending and post-credits scene.
