Despicable Me 4 - Release Date, Cast, Trailer, Directors, And More Info
It's been 14 years since Illumination entered the movie scene with "Despicable Me," and in that time, the film series has become the highest-grossing animated franchise ever. It has done so on the back of catchy tunes, memorable characters, a fun story of a villain accidentally (and reluctantly) finding redemption, and also the cultural phenomenon that is the Minions.
After the second movie in the franchise, we've also seen a new spin-off movie in between each new "Despicable Me" film that's centered on the Minions and their adventures before they met their best friend and overlord Gru. Now, after a seven-year absence, Gru is finally back — and this time, he encounters an even greater challenge than when he tried to steal the moon. Now, he's a father.
That's right, following the monumental success of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," Illumination is taking the "Shrek" route with Gru and the Minions by giving Gru a family. The difference seems to be he is not having a mid-life crisis, but instead turning his son into a sidekick.
When does Despicable Me 4 premiere?
"Despicable Me 4" is set to hit theaters on July 3, 2024. It is the only animated movie releasing that week, and the only family-friendly animated movie after "Inside Out" releases on June 14, so it shouldn't have much competition. Expect theatrical dominance in early July.
Development on a fourth film in the "Despicable Me" franchise began in 2017. But with the ensuing pandemic, it wasn't until February 2022, shortly before the release of "Minions: The Rise of Gru," that "Despicable Me 4" was officially announced with most of the cast and crew returning.
Though we don't know when the movie will be released on streaming, Universal (which releases Illumination's movies) has a deal with Netflix that has their movies stream on Peacock the first four months of a movie's pay-TV window, before moving to Netflix the following ten months, and finally returning to Peacock for the next four.
What are the plot details of Despicable Me 4?
The first "Despicable Me" film showed supervillain Gru trying to steal the moon, but ending up adopting three orphan girls. In the second film, he falls in love with Lucy Wilde, an agent of the Anti-Villain League. The third film introduced Gru's long-lost twin brother Dru, and ended up with Gru and Lucy chasing after him, like heroes tracking down a villain.
The trailer for "Despicable Me 4" reveals that Gru, the former supervillain and now Anti-Villain League-agent, has a son named Gru Jr. While enduring the hardships of having a new baby, Gru and his family are forced to go on the run when they are targeted by escaped criminal Maxime Le Mal and his girlfriend, the femme fatale Valentina. Of course, Gru isn't alone, as he brings with him his legion of Minions who are sure to get into plenty of trouble and wreak havoc for everyone.
Who is the cast of Despicable Me 4?
"Despicable Me 4" sees most of the cast from the previous movies return to voice their characters. This includes Steve Carell as Gru, Kristen Wiig as Lucy, Pierre Coffin (who also directed the first three movies in the franchise) as the Minions, Miranda Cosgrove as Gru's oldest adopted daughter Margo, Dana Gaier as Margo's sister Edith, and Steve Coogan as former Anti-Villain League director Silas Ramsbottom.
The youngest of the three daughters, Agnes, has been recast for the second time. Elsie Fisher played the character in the first two movies, while Nev Scharrel replaced her for "Despicable Me 3." Now, it is newcomer Madison Skyy Polan who will voice young Agnes in "Despicable Me 4."
As for the new characters, Will Ferrell voices Maxime Le Mal, Gru's new nemesis. He is accompanied by his girlfriend Valentina (Sofía Vergara). Joey King, Stephen Colbert, and Chloe Fineman also round out the cast.
Who is the crew of Despicable Me 4?
"Despicable Me 4" sees the return of Chris Renaud as director. Replacing co-director Pierre Coffin is Patrick Delage, an animator in every movie in the series set to make his feature directorial debut with this movie. Renaud is Illumination's most notable director, having helmed every movie in the "Despicable Me" and also "The Secret Life of Pets" franchises, as well as "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax."
Perhaps most interesting is the fact that the script for "Despicable Me 4" is written by "The White Lotus" creator and "School of Rock" writer Mike White. Most recently, White penned the script for Illumination's "Migration." Ken Daurio, a longtime Illumination writer, is credited as co-writer. The film is produced by Illumination founder Chris Meledandri, and "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" executive producer Brett Hoffman.
Has Despicable Me 4 released a trailer?
The first trailer for "Despicable Me 4" was released on January 28, 2024. It mostly teases the premise of the film, with Gru's family increasing with the arrival of Gru Jr., as well as the threat of Maxime Le Mal. Rather than try and leave his supervillain past behind for the sake of the baby, it seems Gru is keen on introducing his son to the family business. The trailer shows him teaching Gru Jr. how to do a heist while infiltrating a big house.
As noted in our write-up of the trailer release, the first trailer for "Despicable Me 4" shares some vibes with Pixar's "The Incredibles," with the baby inadvertently getting involved in the family business — here seen fighting a honey badger rather than shooting lasers out of his eyes.
And for fans of the Minions, the trailer gives us enough of Kevin, Stuart, and Bob getting in trouble, including a bit where one of them gets stuck inside a vending machine. Those zany Minions are incorrigible!