Despicable Me is the highest-grossing animated film franchise and the 15th highest-grossing film ever. Bearing this in mind, it’s kind of hard to believe that the last movie starring Gru, the supervillain who managed to win audience’s hearts, hit the silver screen over five years ago, in June 2017. Nevertheless, and in spite of a lack of Despicable Me movies, the franchise kept on rolling, releasing Minions: The Rise of Gru, a prequel that chronicles the origins of Gru and his connection with the Minions, on July 1, 2022. This movie features a young 11-year-old Gru, devoted fan of the supervillain group Vicious 6, who suddenly gets invited to audition after the group’s leader, Wild Knuckles, is kicked out and presumed dead. Even though the interview goes badly, as Gru is ridiculed for being just a kid, he manages to steal their most treasured possession: the Zodiac Stone, which is connected to the Chinese zodiac, starting a series of persecutions and adventures that make little Gru learn what it takes to be a true villain.
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Recently, the franchise made headlines again with the announcement of Despicable Me 4, which will feature the return of Chris Renaud, director of the first two films. While the plot is still unknown, it has been confirmed that the franchise’s main actors will be returning to voice their characters, so Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, and Pierre Coffin are expected to participate. Despicable Me 4 is currently aiming for a 2024 release date, which marks a seven-year gap between its predecessor, the longest time between Despicable Me movies. Here’s a look at why there is a significant delay in the highly anticipated fourth film in the franchise.
A Chain Reaction Leading to Delays
Illumination Entertainment
In July 2017, a month after Despicable Me 3 was released, Universal Pictures and Illumination announced plans for Minions: The Rise of Gru, initially meant to be released on July 3, 2020. Indeed, that same month, the prequel’s production kicked off under the direction of Kyle Balda with co-directors Brad Ableson and Jonathan del Val. However, in the midst of the film’s development, the global health crisis triggered by COVID-19 spread around the world, and the movie industry, like many others, was forced to take action. Illumination was urged to close its animation studio in Paris indefinitely and to stop working on all its projects, so Minions was put on hold, among many other films from Illumination and other producers. Because of the shutdown, the film’s release was delayed for a year, but that period of time was still not enough time to finish the film. Eventually, and after being delayed for an additional year, Minions was released in theaters on July 1, 2022, becoming the last film to be released out of a long list of productions due in 2020 that did not make it because of the pandemic. Naturally, the setbacks from the pandemic and the backlog of already announced productions from Illumination and Universal Pictures led to delays in their remaining movies, which explains why Despicable Me 4 is so far apart from its predecessor.
When Will Despicable Me 4 Be Released?
When Illumination first announced that Minions: The Rise of Gru was in production in 2017, they also announced that Despicable Me 4 was also in development, although they did not state a release date. Earlier this year, it was finally announced that Despicable Me 4 is set to be released in theaters on July 3, 2024, assuming there are no unexpected delays. In this way, the sixth movie in the franchise will hit the silver screen two years after The Rise of Gru, seven after Despicable Me 3 and 14 years after Despicable Me, the film that kicked off this blockbuster animated franchise.
