Minions: The Rise of Gru

Set in the 1970s, Minions: The Rise of Gru, follows a young boy who dreams of becoming the greatest supervillain the world has ever known. Trying to prove himself to his idols, the supervillain group The Vicious 6, Gru teams up with his wacky yellow assistants, the Minions for an adventure into villainy. With cameos from Gru’s assistant, Dr Nefario, his mother Marlena and kung-fu acupuncturist Master Chow, The Rise of Gru will show the origins of this lovable supervillain. Gru and his minions were first seen in the 2010 animated comedy, Despicable Me. The immense popularity of the film – and Gru’s mischievous helpers – marked the beginning of a hit franchise. The minions also had their own solo movie in 2015, following their journey to try and help supervillains through the ages.

What to know

Minions: The Rise of Gru is the fifth movie in the Despicable Me film franchise and is a spin-off to the 2015 prequel Minions. It was released in theaters on July 1, 2022.

This computer-animated comedy features a star-studded cast with performances from Steve Carell, Michelle Yeoh, RZA, Russel Brand, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Julie Andrews, Dulph Lundgren and Pierre Coffin returning as the voice of the Minions. Director Kyle Balda returns to the Despicable Me universe after having helmed the first Minions film (2015) and more recently Despicable Me 3 (2017).

Production: Timeline, news & updates

• January 25, 2017:Universal confirm a sequel to Minions (2015) is scheduled for release in July 2020.(Source: Deadline)
• May 21, 2019:The title of the film is confirmed as Minions: The Rise of Gru(Source: Deadline)
• December 4, 2019:Steve Carell is announced as the voice of Gru and Pierre Coffin is also confirmed to return as the voice of the minions.(Source: Collider)
• February 5, 2020:A full-length trailer for the film is released revealing Carell in the titular role.(Source: Collider)
• April 2, 2020:Release of the film gets pushed back a year and is scheduled for july 2021 after complications due to the COVID 19 pandemic.(Source: Movie Web)
• March 4, 2021:Universal confirm the further delay of the release of the film to July 2022.(Source: Variety)
• December 16, 2021:A new teaser for the film is released with confirmation of an expanded cast including Michelle Yeoh, Taraji P. Henson, Lucy Lawless, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Russel Brand.(Source: Collider)
• March 5th, 2022:Minions: The Rise of Gru is confirmed to follow in the footsteps of other films in the franchise and be screened first at the Annecy Animation Festival on June 13th. (Source: Hollywood Reporter)
• June 6, 2022:The final trailer for the film is released showcasing the films main villains the Vicious 6. (Source: Collider)
• July 1, 2022: Minions: The Rise of Gru is released in theaters.(Source: Collider)