‘Minions’ Sequel Gets Official Title and Release Date

Universal and Illumination have revealed the official title and release date for the upcoming ‘Minions‘ sequel. The second installment is now titled ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru,’ which hits theaters on July 3, 2020, reports Deadline. The title ‘The Rise of Gru’ hints at an origin story of the yellow minions that sheds light on how they became the henchmen of the supervillain Gru. He appeared as a young boy at the end of the first installment ‘Minions’ in 2015.

Gru, who is voiced by Steve Carell in the first movie, has been at the center of the plot of the franchise since 2010. He is the main character in ‘Despicable Me,’ ‘Despicable Me 2’ and ‘Despicable Me 3.’ In ‘Minions,’ Gru appears as the young boy who becomes a crucial figure in the schemes of Minions at the end of the movie. No plot or casting details for the sequel have been revealed yet by the makers.

The first ‘Minions‘ movie hit theaters on July 10, 2015. It went on to become a huge hit and grossed nearly $1.16B worldwide. The movie also became the highest grosser of the franchise. Minions are the most despicable villains from the beginning of time. But their misadventure while serving the masters end them up in a reclusive life in a faraway cave.

They have become depressed and restless after years of inactivity and is desperate for a mighty, evil boss. The unlikely heroes, named Kevin, Stuart and Bob, embark on a rescue mission to find an evil leader to save the tribe from extinction. Their journey takes them to the tentacles of Scarlet Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock). The first female supervillain hires them and the resulting events place the Minions at odds with Queen Elizabeth II and the British Empire.

The 2015 movie is a spin-off of the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise. The movie, which is produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, features a soundtrack of ’60s popular music. ‘Minions 1’ is directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda from a screenplay by Brian Lynch. Chris Renaud served as executive producer of the film.

The upcoming sequel is reportedly directed again by Balda with Brad Ableson joining as the co-director. The screenplay is written by Lynch. ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ will lock horns with Ryan Reynolds‘ ‘Free Guy,’ which is lined up for a release on the same day. ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ and ‘In the Heights’ are slated to debut a week before. The upcoming ‘Ghostbusters 3’ and ‘The Purge 5’ will hit theaters a week after.