Universal Pictures and Illumination's Despicable Me 4 will come to the big screen behind Gru, his growing family, and a brand-new villain named Maxime Le Mal.
Originally introduced as a villain in 2010’s Despicable Me, Steve Carell’s Felonious Gru evolves throughout his three movies from trying to be the best villain ever to retiring and becoming a family man.
In later films, he works with his new wife Lucy Wilde as part of the Anti-Villain League, defeating numerous antagonists as the Despicable Me franchise grew to a $4.6 billion success at the global box office (per The Numbers).
Despicable Me 4's Villain Takes Center Stage
Illumination released the first official trailer for the new animated movie Despicable Me 4, providing the first official look at the franchise's latest villain, Maxime Le Mal.
Portrayed by comedy legend Will Ferrell, Maxime Le Mal (also named Max Superball in the trailer) is a villain who escapes from prison in a giant bronze machine and goes on the hunt for Steve Carell's Gru and his family.
The trailer also provides a look at Maxime's girlfriend Valentina, who is voiced by Modern Family star Sofia Vergara, as she is seen powering up the machine's rockets to send it flying into the air.
In this new story, Gru is forced to relocate his family from their home into a safe house with Maxime seen in the trailer escaping from prison and yelling, "I'm coming for my revenge, Gru!"
The full trailer can be seen below:
What Will Happen in Despicable Me 4?
While information on Will Ferrell’s new villain remains scarce with only a few seconds of screen time for him in the trailer, fans are in for a thrilling new adventure behind Steve Carell’s former villain.
Gru’s biggest new challenge will be raising his newborn son, Gru Jr., who is seen in the trailer not wanting any part of his father’s love as the newest member of the family.
This will also mark the first Despicable Me movie in five years after 2017’s Despicable Me 3 broke the billion-dollar mark at the box office (per The Numbers). However, that threequel flopped with critics by garnering a 59% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Will Ferrell will follow other big villain performances from Trey Parker’s Balthazar Bratt, Benjamin Bratt’s El Macho, and Jason Segel’s Vector, hoping to keep the franchise alive and well for another run of excellence next to Steve Carell.
The new sequel looks to succeed amongst heavy competition, releasing between big hitters such as June 14's Inside Out 2 and July 26th's Deadpool 3 as Universal aspires for the latest animated win on the big screen.
Despicable Me 4 will arrive in theaters on July 3.
