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Will there be a live-action film based on “Despicable Me”?

Madoc Meredith August 21, 2024

Published: August 21, 2024

Will there be a live-action film based on “Despicable Me”?

By Movieguide® Contributor

Chris Renaud, the creator of the Despicable Me universe, has shared his thoughts on whether or not he wants to take the leap into a live-action adaptation of his franchise.

“I hope not. Those are my answers,” Renaud said. “I mean, if there were such conversations, I wasn’t involved in them. But for me, the world is defined by the fact that it’s alive and allows us to get away with what we get away with.”

“Like locking a minion in the vending machine or blowing up Gru when he attacks Vector. These are really cartoon ideas that would appear in a Bugs Bunny cartoon,” he continued.

“I think it’s just going to be something completely different when you do a live-action version. Not very appealing to me personally,” added Renaud. “But again, who knows what can happen, but that’s my personal feeling about it.”

Although Renaud is the creator of the franchise, Disney’s ownership of the film ultimately gives them the final say on a live-action remake. While there are currently no public plans for a live-action remake of Despicable Me or Minions, that doesn’t mean there never will be one.

Disney has adapted nearly a dozen of its most popular animated films into live-action remakes over the past decade. Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Mulan, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and many more have all been adapted this way. The company has also recently been eyeing newer films like Lilo & Stitch and Moana.

However, experienced animators are convinced that some stories only work in an animated world and that our brains would not accept them if they were implemented in reality.

“Maybe it annoys me to say this, but it kind of bothers me,” Pixar’s chief creative officer Pete Docter told Time magazine when asked about live-action remakes. “I like to make movies that are original and unique. Remakes aren’t very interesting to me personally… So much of what we do only works because of the rules of the (animated) world.”

“So when a human walks into a floating house, you think, ‘Wait a minute. Hold on. Houses are super heavy. How can balloons lift the house?’ But when a cartoon guy is standing there in the house, you think, ‘Okay, I buy that,'” Docter continued. “The worlds we’ve created just don’t translate that easily.”

While Disney still has the option to make a live-action Despicable Me film, they have no reason to do so at this time. With the help of this year’s Despicable Me 4, the franchise has surpassed the $5 billion mark at the box office overall – a feat no other animated franchise has accomplished. Disney also recently announced that Minions 3 is in the works and is expected to be released on June 30, 2027.

Movieguide® previously reported:

A new MINIONS movie is in the works! The Illumination sequel MINIONS 3 is scheduled for release on June 30, 2027.

The film’s screenplay was written by Brian Lynch and directed by Pierre Coffin, who also provides the voice of the Minions.

The Despicable Me and Minions franchises are the highest-grossing franchises in animation history, having grossed around $5 billion over the course of their six films.

The latest installment, Despicable Me 4, proves that fans still love the franchise.

“Despicable Me 4 was a huge success at the international box office, grossing a whopping $88 million and topping the charts. The animated sequel’s worldwide total now stands at $437.8 million,” reported Variety. “The Despicable Me film series was the first animated franchise in history to surpass the $5 billion mark.”