George Lucas just scored a rare voice role in one of his all-time favorite franchises. The Star Wars creator’s surprising fandom led to an unexpected casting in an upcoming animated blockbuster.
George Lucas joins the voice cast of Minions & Monsters
llumination CEO Chris Meledandri revealed in an interview with Collider that George Lucas will voice a character in Minions & Monsters. The Star Wars creator joined the upcoming animated feature after expressing his longtime admiration for the studio’s films. The movie opens in theaters on July 1.
Meledandri shared that Lucas is a devoted fan of the Despicable Me franchise and its beloved yellow characters. “I had this privilege of meeting George about two years ago, and what led to my meeting him is how much he loves Illumination movies, and specifically Despicable Me, and even more specifically, the Minions,” Meledandri said. “It was such a thrill to learn that and then to share it with the team, because obviously he’s among a very small group of people who the entire studio shares a level of respect for that is just off the charts.”
The Illumination CEO pitched the idea for Lucas’ casting to director Pierre Coffin, co-writer Brian Lynch, and producer Bill Ryan. “An idea for a character came up out of the story, and so I said to Pierre, ‘Well, what if we could get George?’ And they’re like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I had no idea, but I got such a fast yes,” Meledandri recalled. “We’re thrilled to have him in the film.”
Lucas recorded his lines at a studio in Paris, where Coffin directed the session. Meledandri also noted that Lucas has already expressed interest in returning for future installments. “I saw him recently, and he’s already talking to me about the role he wants to do next in the next Minions movie,” he added.
The voice cast also includes Jesse Eisenberg, Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Zoey Deutch, Trey Parker, and Phil LaMarr. The Despicable Me franchise has grossed nearly $5 billion worldwide at the box office since its debut in 2010.
