Despicable Me 2

Casting Call: Malcolm McDowell Joins TBILISI, MY CITY; Steve Coogan Joins DESPICABLE ME 2; Kyle Gallner in BEAUTIFUL CREATURES and More

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 1st, 2012 at 6:13 pm

Lots of casting news to catch up on, so here it is in brief:

• Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder) has been cast to voice a character in Despicable Me 2, starring Steve Carell and Al Pacino.
• Malcolm McDowell (The Artist) will star in a vignette of Tbilisi, My City.
• Kyle Gallner (A Nightmare on Elm Street) is a recent addition to Beautiful Creatures, the adaptation of the Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl novel.
• Abigail Spencer (Mad Men) will join the indie drama Kilimanjaro, starring Brian Geraghty (The Hurt Locker).
• Vik Sahay (Chuck) rounds out the cast for the werewolf film, Wer, directed by William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside).

Hit the jump for more.

Teaser Trailer and Poster for DESPICABLE ME 2

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 1st, 2012 at 10:09 am

Universal has released the teaser trailer and poster for Despicable Me 2.  There aren’t any plot details or even footage from the film, but that doesn’t mean the marketing campaign can’t begin 15 months before the movie opens.  So how do you sell a movie without the movie?  The minions!  By being adorable, the minions can sell anything.  Granted, this is really more of an announcement trailer, although I have no idea why they’re “singing” the Beach Boys’ “Barbara Ann”.  I can’t remember if that was a thing in the first movie or not.

Hit the jump to check out the teaser trailer and poster.  The film features the voice talents of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, and Al Pacino.  Despicable Me 2 opens in 3D on July 3, 2013.

Chris Meledandri Talks DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX, Dr. Seuss Biopic with Johnny Depp, and DESPICABLE ME 2

by Christina Radish    Posted: February 24th, 2012 at 4:11 pm

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (opening in theaters on March 2^nd), is the beloved children’s story that’s also its author’s favorite work. The 3D-CG animated adaptation is an adventure that follows the journey of idealistic 12-year-old Ted (voiced by Zac Efron) while he searches for a real Truffula Tree for Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift), in order to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find one, he must learn the story of the Lorax (voiced by Danny DeVito) from the enigmatic and bitter old hermit, known as the Once-ler (voiced by Ed Helms), who let the temptation of greed and success get the better of him.

At the film’s press day, producer Chris Meledandri (founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment) spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about how and when he first became aware of the work of Dr. Seuss, the challenge of adding original songs to The Lorax, and how much he’s enjoyed working with Audrey Geisel to protect the Dr. Seuss legacy. He also talked about the development of the live-action film Illumination is doing on the life of Theodor Geisel, the man behind the work of Dr. Seuss, that is being produced by Johnny Depp (who will possibly star in the lead role), the plan to do a mix of live-action with the animated characters of his creation, and how they are currently working on the animation for Despicable Me 2, with Al Pacino making his animated feature debut as the villain. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Producer Chris Meledandri Talks Dr. Seuss Biopic and DESPICABLE ME 2; Confirms Biopic Will Probably Be Live-Action with Animated Seuss Characters

by Christina Radish    Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 2:01 pm

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, the beloved children’s story that’s also its author’s favorite work, opens in theaters on March 2^nd. To promote the film’s release, Collider got to participate in the press junket and sit down with producer Chris Meledandri (founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment).

While we will run what he had to say about the film, closer to its release date, we did want to share what he had to say about the development of the live-action film Illumination is doing on the life of Theodor Geisel, the man behind the work of Dr. Seuss, that is being produced by Johnny Depp, who will possibly star in the lead role. Meledandri said that he takes the protection of the Seuss legacy very serious and will not move forward with the film until they believe it’s right, and that they are planning for it do include a mix of the animated characters of his creation. He also said they’ve just started animating Despicable Me 2, and how excited they are to have Al Pacino making his animated feature debut as the villain. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

Javier Bardem in Talks to Voice Villain in DESPICABLE ME 2

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 5th, 2011 at 5:51 pm

Four years after scaring the hell out of people (and winning an Oscar for it) in No Country for Old Men, Javier Bardem is taking on a baddie role again, only this time it’s just his voice. The actor is in negotiations to lend his vocal talents to a new villain in Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me 2. Heat Vision reports that Bardem will be voicing a character named El Macho, whose son is named Machito (naturally). Plot details are being kept under wraps, so unfortunately that’s all we know about the character at this time. The first film was a bona fide hit, grossing over $500 million worldwide on a budget just shy of $70 million. I wasn’t necessarily blown away by the flick, but it was amusing enough and Bardem’s addition to the sequel is definitely enticing. Steve Carell and most of the other voice actors from the original are expected to return. The voice talent on that film included Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, and Will Arnett. Click here to check out the poster for the sequel. Despicable Me 2 opens July 3rd, 2013.

Promo Poster for DESPICABLE ME 2

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 27th, 2011 at 10:09 am

Universal scored a big hit with Despicable Me and they sent a sequel into development almost immediately after the animated film opened #1 at the box office.  This past June, we reported that the studio had set Despicable Me 2 for July 3, 2013 and even though that’s ridiculously far away, the marketing has begun.  Collider reader Max has sent along the first promo poster for the movie and it proclaims “More Minions.  More Despicable.”  Unless the entire planet is getting covered in adorable minions, I don’t see how they could fit any more of the scene-stealing characters into the movie.

Hit the jump to check out the poster.

Universal Sets Release Dates for Oliver Stone’s SAVAGES, DESPICABLE ME 2, and OBLIVION Starring Tom Cruise

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 16th, 2011 at 1:55 pm

Universal has announced release dates today for three of its high-profile upcoming properties. First up, Oliver Stone’s Savages is set to hit theaters on September 28^th, 2012 (via Deadline). The film stars Benecio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Emile Hirsch, John Travolta, and Uma Thurman. Based upon the book of the same name, the plot revolves around on two Laguna Beach marijuana kingpins (Kitsch and Johnson) who encounter a world of trouble when their shared girlfriend (Lively) is kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel.

In what will undoubtedly be a never-ending franchise Universal has set Despicable Me 2 for a July 3^rd, 2013 release. Though no plot details are known, the original voice cast, including Steve Carell, is expected to return. The studio has also set a July 19^th, 2013 release for Joseph Kosinski’s (Tron: Legacy) sci-fi flick Oblivion. Starring Tom Cruise, the story centers on an ex-soldier left on a deserted Earth following a full-scale war with an alien race.

DESPICABLE ME Sequel Greenlit; Short Films Featuring “The Minions” in Development

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 13th, 2010 at 10:08 am

People who enjoyed last weekend’s top-grossing film Despicable Me will be pleased to know that talks are already underway for Despicable Me 2.  Deadline reports that Universal Pictures, Illumination (Universal’s family film division) founder/CEO Chris Meledandri, and writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio have begun discussions about a sequel.  Despicable‘s $56 million opening weekend was notable when you consider that there was no built-in audience.  Now it has built an audience, Universal is grabbing hold of a new brand they can develop.

Part of developing that brand entails the creation of two new short films featuring the adorable yellow minions of Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), Despicable Me‘s supervillain protagonist.  It is currently unknown whether these short films will be shown in front of future Illumination features a la Pixar, or if they’ll be distributed in another fashion.

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