Star Wars creator and Indiana Jones co-creator George Lucas is coming back to the spotlight, but not in the world of sci-fi.
The famed American filmmaker is returning to Hollywood, lending his voice for the latest movie of the Despicable Me franchise, Minions & Monsters, set to debut on July 1. The role in the film will be the filmmaker’s first acting role since 2007, where he made an appearance as his animated self in a comedy series by Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim called Robot Chicken: Star Wars.
But it’s not just acting that has taken a backseat in Lucas’ career, although his acting credits have been mostly for cameos. Lucas sold his flagship production studio Lucasfilm in 2012 to the Walt Disney Company for $4.05 billion, and has since largely retired from the industry.
But a chance to briefly return came from an unexpected place—Lucas’ own love for the Minions, Chris Meledandri, the founder of Illumination, the animation studio behind Despicable Me, shared.
“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.
Meledandri suggested the idea for Lucas to cameo in the latest Minions movie to the film’s director, co-writer, and the producer.
“What if we could get George?’ And they’re like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” He told them. “I had no idea, but I got such a fast yes.”
Lucas is set to be joined by Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Zoey Deutch, Christoph Waltz, as well as French animator Pierre Coffin, who voices the minions. While more information on Lucas’ role in the franchise’s seventh installment remains under wraps, the film’s plot is set to follow the beloved yellow creatures trying to save the world from monsters they unleashed.
But while little is still known, this cameo might just be the beginning of Lucas’ slow return to the big screen.
“I saw him recently, and he’s already talking to me about the role he wants to do next in the next Minions movie,” Meledandri said. “So, it’s pretty incredible.”
