Despicable Me 4 introduces a new bundle of joy to the popular animated franchise, along with some long-planned Minions shenanigans that have finally come to fruition.
The fourth installment in Universal‘s movie series that hails from Illumination Entertainment opened in theaters Wednesday ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. Will Ferrell, Sofía Vergara, Joey King, Stephen Colbert and Chloe Fineman join the voice cast alongside returnees Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig and Miranda Cosgrove.
Despicable Me 4 centers on Gru (Carell) and his family — including newest addition, Gru Jr. — going on the lam after a threat from the villainous Maxime Le Mal (Ferrell). Also adding to the action are the Mega-Minions, a quartet of the rascally sidekicks who are imbued with superpowers of questionable value, which is a concept first conceived years ago for Despicable Me 2, but the idea was not used.
Director Chris Renaud, who helmed the original 2010 movie and its 2013 sequel, tells The Hollywood Reporter about working with in-demand screenwriter Mike White (creator of The White Lotus), the challenge of spoofing superheroes, what the GentleMinions social media trend says about the fandom and whether an MCU-style expansion might indeed be in store for the series.
Maxime (Will Ferrell) and Gru (Steve Carell) in Despicable Me 4.
Illumination & Universal Pictures
Where do you start when you’re creating a sequel in this franchise?
This one started really with the family problem, which was about leaving their beloved home behind and going to a witness relocation program, essentially. Originally, the villain was just a big threatening, dangerous presence and more nondescript than where we landed with Maxime Le Mal.
Mike White is credited for his work on the screenplay. What made him the right fit to join this universe, and how much of his script is in the…
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