George Lucas is stepping into animated comedy for the first time in years, joining the voice cast of Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters.” The “Star Wars” creator’s appearance comes alongside a story that travels back to classic Hollywood—complete with a fictio
“Bello!” could soon echo from behind a microphone—because George Lucas is joining the voice cast of “Minions & Monsters.” Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri revealed the casting news on Friday. marking Lucas’ first acting gig on the big screen since he moved on from his iconic franchise with “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith.” In that film. Lucas appeared as Baron Papanoida in an uncredited cameo.
Meledandri made the case for why this partnership felt inevitable. He said he met Lucas about two years ago. and that the moment started with a simple truth: Lucas loves Illumination movies—especially “Despicable Me. ” and “even more specifically. the Minions.” Meledandri told Collider’s Steve Weintraub on Friday that learning how deeply Lucas connected with the studio’s world was “such a thrill. ” and that it was meaningful to share that excitement with the team because Lucas is among a very small group of people the studio regards with “respect… just off the charts.”.
“Minions & Monsters” is the seventh entry in the broader “Despicable Me” franchise and the third feature in the “Minions” subfranchise. The story goes even further back in time than the original ’60s-set “Minions” movie. This time. the yellow. gibberish-speaking creatures return to old Hollywood. where a set of Minions discovers a love for cinema—then tries to make their own movie while unleashing deadly monsters in the process.
The casting push itself had the kind of fast momentum that changes a project overnight. Meledandri said an idea for a character came out of the story. and he turned to Pierre Coffin—who co-wrote the movie with Brian Lynch—and to Bill Ryan. who produces with Meledandri. “Well, what if we could get George?” Meledandri told them. The response. he said. was disbelief: “They’re like. ‘Are you kidding me?’” He said he had “no idea. ” but that he still got “such a fast yes.”.
Lucas recorded his lines in Paris. and Meledandri says the creator already has his sights set on a potential fourth “Minions” movie. Lucas has ideas about what his role could be—or should be—in that next entry. For Illumination, it’s a natural fit: Lucas created a sci-fi/fantasy franchise that reshaped Hollywood, fandom, and blockbuster filmmaking.
The film also brings Hollywood history into the laughs. Lucas’ character shares the screen with a fictionalized version of Orson Welles. Meledandri told Weintraub that he met that Welles connection at a restaurant in his early days in the industry. while delivering a script to his boss. He recalled the moment as a turning point: “It wasn’t until that moment that I realized this is serious business.” Then came the detail that sounds almost like a dream—being close enough to the legend to count it as a milestone. “I actually am in the spot that I wanted to be in. just by virtue of being ten feet away from Orson Welles.”.
With Lucas now officially part of “Minions & Monsters,” the project feels like it’s doing more than just making an animated movie—it’s collapsing decades of Hollywood imagination into one place, with “Star Wars” history and old-school cinema vibes sharing the same frame.
George Lucas Minions & Monsters Illumination Chris Meledandri voice cast Star Wars Despicable Me Minions Orson Welles animated movie