There was an outpouring of positivity and goodwill from Thames locals last month, when film crews arrived to shoot scenes for A Minecraft Movie Squared, the sequel to 2025’s A Minecraft Movie.
Hollywood actors, including Jack Black and Kirsten Dunst, were the main focus for onlookers during the shoot. But hundreds of other people were also involved, both on camera and behind the scenes – and many of them were locals.
Allan Judd was one of several Thamesites on-site, acting as a featured extra in the street scene shot in Grahamstown.
“There were about 65 extras they brought in, but then you’ve probably got 250 people-plus behind the scenes,” he said.
“Everything from the costume and makeup, your assistant directors, cameramen, sound… For every actor, there’s probably four or five [other] people.”
Allan’s role involved a short conversation with Jack Black’s character, Steve.
“I was on the steps of Twentymans [Funeral Home], and all I had to do was get up, stand there, walk down the steps, and deliver these couple of lines to Jack,” he said.
“I had a good little chat with him… He thought [Thames] was a pretty cool sort of place – the wonderful vibe that’s in town, and the people.”
Allan’s Minecraft experience began in Auckland for costume fittings. On the day of the shoot he was called around 6am, when he and the other extras were costumed, made-up and sent for breakfast.
“The food that they put on was astronomical, they really do look after you.”
Then came several hours of filming the same scene. Like any acting job, he said, it was all about consistency.
“They’re doing take after take from different angles, they want to see you in that same position doing the same thing.”
Thames-based panelbeater Jared Fisher also had consistency on his mind. During the shoot, he was managing 19 vehicles lining the street or being driven by actors.
“The vehicles are used on the American side of the road, and it’s always got to be reset for every take… There’s a lot of dressing and making things look right.”
Jared’s career has seen him provide multiple vehicles for film shoots. His Bella St workshop is filled with dozens of props suitable for films set overseas, including American cop cars, left-hand-drive vehicles, and licence plates from around the world.
During the Minecraft shoot, he sourced and prepared many of the vehicles for the set, fitting them out with the correct American plates and stickers.
“Before the shoot we had two days prep, so early Monday morning we could start at 6am [and] have everything ready to go,” he said.
“It was a pleasure to work with that team. [They were] really professional, and the vehicle side of things went like clockwork.”
The shoot also indirectly involved many of Thames’ business owners. The shops being filmed were transformed with signage and props to resemble stores from the fictional Idaho town of Chuglass, and they were closed for business during the shoot itself, with the film company compensating them for any loss of income during the closure.
Twentymans owner and Thames Community Board chair Adrian Catran said the company was very considerate to affected businesses.
“It was just incredible the way they came in on Sunday afternoon and they were gone by Tuesday afternoon – they were in and out and no damage, no mess, no nothing,” he said.
“We’re a 24/7 business and they acknowledged that and allowed people to come in down Kirkwood St and come the back way into our property. So in turn, we gave them the use of our car park across the road so that they could drop all the actors and actresses off.”
Adrian said the financial gain for Thames would have been considerable, with both locals and the film crew spending generously at the town’s restaurants and eateries. Thames also made an impact on the film company, he said.
“The set manager said when they first came through and the producer looked up there [between the buildings] he said, ‘oh my God, it just looks like in the hills in the back of Idaho’.
“They were absolutely amazed about having those buildings here, and about the willingness of people to help them in any way possible,” he said.
“It really was tremendous and a real boon and a boost to Thames and in particular to Grahamstown.”
