Minions & Monsters is assembling a scary good cast.
The upcoming Minions & Monsters is the third installment in the Minions franchise, which is a series of spinoffs that serve as prequels to the four Despicable Me movies. So far, the combined six-film franchise has grossed $5.622 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing animated film franchise in history and the 14th highest-grossing film franchise in general.
Illumination and Universal Pictures have announced that six major stars have joined the voice cast of Minions & Monsters. The incoming stars include Oscar winners Jeff Bridges, Christoph Waltz, and Allison Janney alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch, and Trey Parker (who previously voiced supervillain Balthazar Bratt in Despicable Me 3).
Below, see the official announcement video, which involves a Minion named Dick giving unimpressed reactions to the star-studded cast list while waiting for his name to be displayed:
Read an official comment from Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri below:
The Minions have always had a wonderfully subversive spirit and Minions & Monsters delivers a full dose of irreverence and comedic mayhem. Pierre and his Illumination team have brought a level of artistry to the film that has thrilled me all throughout production. The voice cast is filled with exceptional talent. The film’s story is unexpected and delightful, and perhaps the most lovely surprise is how Minions & Monsters serves to honor cinema, its origins, and the comedians who are the original inspiration for these adorable little guys.
Details about the characters the voice actors will be playing are still under wraps. However, it seems unlikely that Trey Parker will be reprising his Despicable Me 3 role. Balthazar Bratt was a child actor in the 1980s, and – as showcased in the Minions & Monsters trailer – the new movie will be set in the 1920s.
However, it is entirely possible that Parker could be playing an Old Hollywood ancestor of Bratt’s. The movie, which follows the Minions trying to find real-life monsters to cast in a movie, will pay homage to many classic comedy and horror films of the era, so it would make sense for a character like that to be included.
Additionally, Allison Janney previously voiced the thief Madge Nelson in 2015’s Minions, which was set in 1968. It is unclear if her character will have any relation to Nelson. However, the Despicable Me movies have been known to recast actors in different roles, as Kristen Wiig played orphanage owner Miss Hattie in the original movie before returning to voice Gru’s love interest Lucy Wilde in its three sequels.
Regardless of the characters that the Minions & Monsters cast will be playing, this announcement continues a trend of the Minions spinoffs attracting major names. Stars of the previous two installments that have either won or been nominated for Oscars include Janney, Sandra Bullock, Michael Keaton, Geoffrey Rush, Taraji P. Henson, and Michelle Yeoh.
- Release Date
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July 1, 2026
- Writers
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Brian Lynch