Kung Fu Panda 4's director offered an update on the future of the Furious Five.
The Furious Five played important roles in the first three Kung Fu Panda movies, as the team of heroic master fighters have been regular allies to Po.
The group has become fan favorites of the franchise, partly due to their A-list voice cast that includes Angelina Jolie's Tigress, Lucy Liu's Viper, Jackie Chan's Monkey, David Cross' Crane, and Seth Rogen's Mantis.
Are the Furious Five in Kung Fu Panda 4?
Following the release of Kung Fu Panda 4's first teaser trailer, many fans were left disappointed to see the Furious Five was completely omitted, leaving some to question if they were even coming back for the movie.
Fortunately, their return received an exciting update from director Mike Mitchell and producer Rebecca Huntley in a fresh interview with Collider.
Asked whether the Furious Five appear in Kung Fu Panda 4 after sitting out the first trailer, Mitchell confirmed they "make an appearance," although Po will be leaving his usual surroundings for a "huge adventure" in this movie:
"They make an appearance, I'll tell you that much. But to be fair, Po is leaving the Valley of Peace and he's going on a huge adventure to this giant city…"
It was at this point that Huntley interjected to tease how Po will "encounter many, many new characters" on this journey, which will include one played by Shang-Chi's Katy actress Awkwafina.
Mitchell went as far as to say, "All the old characters are back," including ones played by Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, and James Hong:
"Loads. And he has to work with this entire band of thieves to fight the villain. By the way, all the old characters are back – Mr Ping, Li, played by Bryan Cranston, Shifu, played by Dustin Hoffman, and then James Hong who plays Ping. Tons of characters. All the characters come back."
The filmmaker even cryptically teased the return of "a few villains" he doesn't "want to spoil" just yet. One villain already confirmed to return is Ian McShane's Tai Lung, who was featured in the teaser trailer:
"Every single character that you remember comes back, and a few villains that I don't want to spoil. But really, we wanted to introduce a whole slew of new characters which we did."
What Happens to the Furious Five In Kung Fu Panda 4?
Fans of Kung Fu Panda will be delighted to hear the Furious Five will still be around for the fourth movie. Their absence from the trailer sparked concern they would sit this one out, especially as their star-studded voice cast of busy talent must come at a costly price tag.
But as the movie's director stated the movie will take Po out of the Valley of Peace on a "huge adventure" with plenty of new characters, it seems likely the Furious Five will take on a more minor role than usual this time around.
It would not be surprising if the team were only to appear at the opening and ending of Kung Fu Panda 4 while most of the movie focuses on Po's adventure with these new friends to take down Viola Davis' Chameleon.
After the trailer saw Tai Lung getting easily beaten by Chameleon, some fans are worried the Furious Five may be sacrificed to establish this new villain as a major threat.
Kung Fu Panda 4 hits theaters on March 29, 2024.
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