If there is one thing that Hollywood loves, it’s a surprise comeback, though it’s not every day that the comeback in question happens to be connected to an individual who reshaped the modern blockbuster.
After spending years away from on-screen roles and taking a bit of a step back from the industry in general after selling Lucasfilm to Disney back in 2012, George Lucas is stepping back into the spotlight in the most unexpected of ways. No, he’s not making a comeback in the form of a new film he’s directing or producing. Instead, he’s making a comeback by taking on his first acting role in nearly two decades.
What makes this even more interesting is that Lucas is not returning to work on a project connected to Lucasfilm or Disney. Instead, he’s making a comeback with help from some crazy little yellow characters over at Illumination.
George Lucas returns to the big screen with role in Minions & Monsters
In a twist few likely saw coming, George Lucas is returning to the world of acting with a role in Illumination’s Minions and Monsters. That’s right, the man behind one of the greatest franchises to ever grace the big screen is about to lend his voice to another iconic franchise.
"An idea for a character came up out of the story, and so I said to Pierre [Coffin], who co-wrote the movie with Brian Lynch, and Bill Ryan, who produces with me on the film, and I just said, 'Well, what if we could get George [Lucas]?' And they're like, 'Are you kidding me?' I had no idea, but I got such a fast yes," Illumination founder and Minions & Monsters producer Chris Meledandri told Collider. "It was incredible. So, we're thrilled to have him in the film. I saw him recently, and he's already talking to me about the role he wants to do next in the next Minions movie. So, it's pretty incredible."
The role was one that came up as a result of Lucas’ love for the Despicable Me films, specifically Minions.
“I had this privilege of meeting George about two years ago and what led to my meeting him is how much he loves Illumination movies, and specifically Despicable Me, and even more specifically, the Minions. It was such a thrill to learn that and then to share it with the team, because obviously he’s among a very small group of people who the entire studio shares a level of respect for that is just off the charts,” Meledandri revealed.
It's quite the feat for Illumination to manage to book him for a role in Minions and Monsters, as not even Disney has managed to get Lucas to do voice work for any of their projects. Who'd have thought all it would take would be the Minions to pull Lucas out of retirement to lend his voice to a character for the film?
While unconfirmed, it sounds like Lucas will be playing a version of himself in the film, which would be ironic for the fact that his last acting credit also saw him playing an animated version of himself. Back in 2007, Lucas played himself in Robot Chicken: Star Wars, which spoofed the iconic films via Adult Swim’s stop-motion comedy. It was the third in a string of projects in which he guest-starred as himself, following guest spots in The O.C. and Just Shoot Me!.
Although Lucas is a powerhouse in the entertainment industry, acting has never been his passion; Minions and Monsters will be only his tenth acting credit. Lucas has had mostly uncredited roles, including parts in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Men in Black, Hook, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
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