Say “Bello!” to voice actor George Lucas.
The cinematic auteur and “Star Wars” creator will appear in “Minions & Monsters,” Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri shared on Friday. This marks Lucas’ first acting gig on the big screen since he left his iconic franchise behind with “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” (in which he appeared as Baron Papanoida in an uncredited cameo).
“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 told Collider’s Steve Weintraub on Friday. “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 new animated movie (the seventh entry in the broader “Despicable Me” franchise and third feature in the “Minions” subfranchise) goes even further back in time than the original ’60s-set “Minions” movie, bringing the yellow, gibberish-speaking creatures back to old Hollywood. There, a set of Minions discover a love for cinema, attempting to make their own movie — and unleashing some deadly monsters in the process.
“An idea for a character came up out of the story, and so I said to Pierre (Coffin), who co-wrote the movie with Brian Lynch, and Bill Ryan, who produces with me on the film, and I just said, ‘Well, what if we could get George?’” Meledandri said. “They’re like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I had no idea, but I got such a fast yes.”
The Illumination CEO shared that Lucas, who recorded his lines for the film in Paris, already has his sights set on a potential fourth “Minions” movie, with his own ideas for what his role could be (or should) be in that entry. He makes a perfect fit for “Minions & Monsters,” having created a sci-fi/fantasy franchise that would forever change Hollywood, fandom and blockbuster filmmaking. Lucas’ character also shares the screen with a fictionalized version of Orson Welles, another Hollywood legend whom Meledandri met at a restaurant in his early days in the industry while delivering a script to his boss.
“It wasn’t until that moment that I realized this is serious business,” he recalled. “I actually am in the spot that I wanted to be in, just by virtue of being ten feet away from Orson Welles.”
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