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George Lucas joins 'Minions & Monsters' cast in surprise voice role
'Star Wars' creator will voice a character in Illumination's upcoming animated film after personally expressing his love for the 'Despicable Me' franchise
- PUBLISHED: Mon 22 Jun 2026, 11:41 AM
- By:
- ANI
Fans of both Star Wars and the Minions are in for an unexpected crossover.
Filmmaker George Lucas is set to voice a character in Illumination's upcoming animated feature, Minions & Monsters, according to comments made by Illumination founder Chris Meledandri.
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Speaking to Variety, Meledandri revealed that Lucas' involvement came after the two met around two years ago and discovered the legendary filmmaker was a fan of Illumination's films, particularly the Despicable Me franchise and its iconic yellow henchmen.
"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 said.
"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," he added.
According to Meledandri, the idea of casting Lucas emerged during the film's development when a new character was being created.
"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?'" Meledandri recalled.
"I had no idea, but I got such a fast yes."
Meledandri also shared that Lucas is eager to return to the recording booth when the next Minions film enters production.
Directed by Pierre Coffin and Patrick Delage, Minions & Monsters follows the beloved yellow henchmen as they attempt to make a monster movie in 1920s Hollywood.
The film's voice cast also includes Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, Jeff Bridges, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Phil LaMarr and Trey Parker.
Minions & Monsters is scheduled to arrive in theatres on July 1.