Will there be a Despicable Me 5? Everything we know so far about the franchise's future

Despicable Me 5 may take a while to come to screens, but the franchise has won over the audience since its inception. It started in 2010 with a film that introduced minions to the world. These adorable little yellow creatures were put in contrast to the criminal mastermind Gru. With Steve Carell's impeccable voice acting, the makers had a winning formula at hand. It soon turned into a full-fledged film series that became overwhelmingly successful.

Sources say that it is the highest-grossing animated film franchise ever. Its latest installment, Despicable Me 4, has also proven to be commercially lucrative for the makers. This animated film was one of the highest-earning movie projects, standing tall against the likes of Dune II and Mufasa: The Lion King. With all this love and recognition, the studios are bound to think of Despicable Me 5.

At the time of writing this article, there hasn't been an official announcement about Despicable Me 5. However, co-creator Chris Renaud seems open to the idea of it.

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Will there be another Despicable Me film? Here's what we know about Despicable Me 5

Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin co-directed the first two Despicable Me movies and have been behind the latter projects in some capacity. They have been integral to the creative process. After four Despicable Me films and two spin-offs, this series shows no signs of stopping. So, it might be a good idea for studios to go forward with another project in this universe.

Chris Renaud seems open to bringing his iconic characters back to life, according to his Variety interview from July 2024.

When asked about the possibility of Despicable Me 5, Renaud said,

“If we come up with a good story and it feels like we can cover some fresh territory, then certainly it’s possible.”

So, Despicable Me 4 seems to be on the table if it intrigues the animator. While Despicable Me 5 has not been announced yet, there is going to be another Minions film. It will be the third chapter from the spin-off series that began with the 2015 film.

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When will Despicable Me 5 be released? Potential timeline revealed

By now, Universal Pictures or Illumination Studios have not announced Despicable Me 5. So, there is no confirmed release window or release date available at this moment. However, the franchise's fans will get to meet the bright yellow creatures soon.

In July 2024, the studios announced a third installment in their Minions franchise. It will be a follow-up to Minions: The Rise of Gru, which came out in 2022. The announcement about Minions 3 came ahead of the commercial success of Despicable Me 4.

Minions 3 will be the seventh film in the Despicable Me's combined cinematic universe. It was initially supposed to come out in June 2027, but the date was pushed back almost a year to July 2026.

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Will there be a live-action Despicable Me film? Here's what the director said

Chris Renaud is interested in Despicable Me 5, but it might not be a live-action film. It seems to be the way to revive animated franchises, as evident from the likes of Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon. In line with this, a Film Hounds journalist asked Renaud about the possibility of a live-action Despicable Me film. He said,

"God, I hope not"

He further clarified his stance.

“I mean if there were conversations [about live-action remakes], I haven’t been privy to them. But for me, what defines the world is that it is animated, and it 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, like what would have been in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.”