Former supervillain Gru must face-off against a new rival in a bid to protect his family and save the world in the trailer of the animated film Despicable Me 4, dropped by Studio Illumination on Monday.
The Office actor Steve Carell, who lends his voice for Gru, the two-minute-26-second-long trailer introduces Will Ferrell as the new antagonist Maxime and Sofia Vergara as his girlfriend Valentina.Iconic rock band Guns N’ Roses’s 1987 song Sweet Child O’ Mine plays at the very beginning of the trailer. We get a glimpse of Gru’s family life as he comes home to his three adopted girls, his newborn son and his wife. However, things soon take a turn when Gru’s new rival, Maxime Le Mal, escapes from the prison and plots a revenge against Gru, forcing the latter to go on the run.As Gru and his family embark on their new adventure on the road, they pull off a daring heist with the help of minions. They put up a united front to protect the family and save the world from the new villain on the block.
Helmed by Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets director Chris Renaud, Despicable Me 4 will hit theatres on July 4.
The events of the upcoming film picks up the thread after Gru, who recently got fired from the Anti-Villain League, retired to a peaceful life and embarked on a journey to meet his long-lost brother in the third instalment in the film franchise.The animated comedy, which is set to release on July 3, 2024, is the latest entry in the hugely successful franchise from Universal and Illumination. The series follows the adventures of Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell), a former supervillain who turned into a good guy and found his true family.
The voice cast also includes Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan, Chris Renaud, Dana Gaier, and Pierre Coffin, who reprise their roles from the previous films.
New casts
The fourth movie introduces some new faces to the mix, voiced by Will Ferrell, Joey King, Sofia Vergara, Stephen Colbert, Chloe Fineman and Madison Polan. Ferrell plays Maxime Le Mal, a new rival for Gru who wants to take over the world. Vergara is Valentina, Maxime’s glamorous and dangerous girlfriend. The plot also involves a new family member for Gru and Lucy: their baby boy, Gru Jr.
The ‘Despicable Me’ franchise has been a global phenomenon since its debut in 2010. The third film, released in 2017, made over $1 billion at the box office and surpassed the ‘Shrek’ series as the highest-grossing animated film franchise of all time.
Minion mayhems
A big part of the appeal comes from the Minions, the yellow, gibberish-speaking creatures who assist Gru in his schemes. The Minions have become pop culture icons and have starred in their own spinoff movies, ‘Minions’ and ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru.’
The producer of the franchise is Chris Meledandri, the co-founder of Illumination. The directors are Chris Renaud, who helmed the first two films, and Patrick Delage, who makes his feature debut. The writer is Mike White, who has written for films such as ‘School of Rock’ and ‘The Emoji Movie.’
This teaser hints at further escapades for these beloved characters, leaving fans intrigued about whether the Despicable Me franchise can regain its momentum following the events of Despicable Me 3.