February 3rd - Al Pacino has joined the cast of Illumination/Universal's Despicable Me 2.
According to Deadline, Pacino - best known for playing edgy, dramatic characters in dramas like Serpico, The Godfather and Scarface - has agreed to make his animation debut in the upcoming sequel to the hit 2010 film featuring the voice of Steve Carell as a supervillain who has a change of heart after adopting three adorable orphan girls. The movie was not only a rare unqualified hit for Universal in 2010 - earning $543 million worldwide on a $69 million budget - but it also launched producer Chris Meledandri's Illumination Entertainment imprint.
Al Pacino to Voice Character Opposite Steve Carell, Jason Segel in Despicable Me 2
Details about Pacino's role is still under wraps, but he will apparently voice "the nemesis of Gru, who’ll once again be voiced by Steve Carell." This likely means that he will replace Javier Bardem, who was slated to appear in Despicable Me 2 but recently bowed out to pursue other projects.
According to the movie's IMDb page, Jason Segel will also return as Gru's previous nemesis Vector. Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Elsie Kate Fisher haven't been confirmed, but will likely return as the lovable orphans who melted Gru's icy heart in the first film.
Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud will return to direct the sequel, and will once again work from a script written by Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul. Coffin and Renaud are also a virtual lock to voice the diminutive yellow Minions who just about stole the first film out from under the leads. As of this writing, there is no word as to whether Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) will also rejoin them.
Will Illumination/Universal's Despicable Me 2 Be a Good Film?
That, of course, is the multi-million dollar question. By necessity, sequels are always more expensive than original films - actors' agents tend to automatically drive up their prices by about 1/3 if their clients are asked to reprise a hit role. That increases the pressure on the filmmakers to deliver a hit.
The second big question is whether Gru can still be compelling now that he's a loving father and not a nasty villain. Steve Carell is a likable actor but there's only so much he can do with a badly written character. In addition, the Minions delivered nearly all the laughs in the first film; their ability to deliver gags will likely make the biggest difference between this sequel's success and failure.
Despicable Me 2 slides into theatres on July 3, 2013.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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