Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment will release “Despicable Me 4” over Independence Day weekend in 2024, the studios announced Friday.
The fourth film in the “Despicable Me” animated franchise will open in theaters on July 3, 2024. Illumination has also announced the date for another original animated film from writer Mike White called “Migration,” which will open in theaters a year earlier on June 30, 2023.
“Despicable Me 4” will be the 15th feature film collaboration between the animation studio Illumination and Universal. The “Despicable Me” animated franchise alone has brought in over $1.2 billion at the domestic box office. The new film will bring back the film’s voice cast including Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Miranda Cosgrove and Steve Coogan.
Illumination’s founder Chris Meledandri is producing the film, and Chris Renaud, who directed the first two “Despicable Me” movies as well as both “The Secret Lives of Pets” films, will return as the director. Patrick Delage (animation director of “Sing,” “Sing 2,” “The Secret Life of Pets 2”) will be the co-director, and Mike White (“School of Rock” and “The White Lotus”) will write the script.
Meledandri first confirmed back in 2017 that a fourth film in the franchise was in development, but no plot details were revealed. “Despicable Me 3” was released in 2017, and a prequel film, “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” is due for release in July 2022.
As for “Migration,” Illumination has tapped “Ernest & Celestine” filmmaker Benjamin Renner to direct the feature, which will also have a script by White.
“Migration” is a modern-day comedy following a family of ducks who convince their over-protective father to go on the vacation of a lifetime as they attempt to migrate from New England, through New York City, and ultimately down to the Bahamas. Meledandri is also producing. No cast was revealed.
