May 22, 2019

Minions sequel called "Minions: Rise of Grunge"

Universal and Illumination Entertainment's upcoming animated sequel starring the Minions now has a name and a release date. The film will be called Minions: The Rise of Gru and will open in theaters on July 3, 2020.

The Minions movies are a spinoff of Illumination's Despicable Me franchise, which to date has spawned three features. Collectively, the Despicable Me films and the first Minions project have become the highest-grossing animation franchise of all-time bringing in over $3.7 billion at the global box-office.

The first Minions, released in 2015, took in $1.16 billion, and currently ranks as the third-highest grossing (inflation unadjusted) animated film ever released. The film served as a prequel explaining where the childlike henchmen came from and detailing their quest to find a villain to call their own.

Voiced by Steve Carell, Gru is a the center of the Despicable Me films and the commander of the gibberish-talking yellow creatures. Based on the title of the new film, it's likely he will play a central role in the upcoming Minions sequel.

Kyle Balda, who co-directed Minions with Pierre Coffin, will return as director for the sequel, with Brad Ableson serving as co-director.

No details regarding plot or casting have been revealed yet.