At this point in his career, George Lucas can do pretty much whatever he wants. (Well, aside from more Star Wars reedits). But how he got a cameo voice-over role in the upcoming Minions & Monsters may surprise you.
In a recent interview with Collider, Illumination, the company behind the film, CEO Chris Meledandri talked about Lucas’ role. Turns out he absolutely loves the franchise.
“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,” explains Meledandri. “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.”
Minions & Monsters will be the 7th installment of the family-friendly animated films.
Lucus’ Role
This meeting led the team to pitch the idea of having Lucas play himself in the film 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, 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?’ And they’re like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I had no idea, but I got such a fast yes,” Meledandri said. “It was incredible. So, we’re thrilled to have him in the film. I saw him recently, and he’s already talking to me about the role he wants to do next in the next Minions movie. So, it’s pretty incredible.”
The CEO also revealed that there will be a character based on Orson Welles as well. So, we’re curious to see how many more Hollywood heavy-hitters make it into the film before its release.
You can see Lucas in Minions & Monsters, hitting theaters nationwide on July 1st. Check out the trailer below:
