Everything we know about Despicable Me 4

Gru is back on the big screen in Despicable Me 4, the latest instalment in what has become the most successful animated movie franchise ever made.

Voiced by Steve Carrell, we first met this villain with a heart of gold in 2010’s Despicable Me but it wasn’t until 2013’s Despicable Me 2 and 2017’s Despicable Me 3 that we really got to know him.

Read more: Despicable Me timeline explained

Each sequel featured Gru’s expanding family and trusty yellow Minions. These dungaree-wearing, nonsense-speaking guys became so popular with fans that they got their very own spin-off movies with 2015’s Minions and 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, a film which acted as a prequel to the original Despicable Me.

However, with the series' latest instalment, the focus finally returns to Gru as he faces family dilemmas and the arrival of a new evil threat. Here’s everything we know about Despicable Me 4, including its plot, cast, trailers, release date and more.

When will Despicable Me 4 be released?

Despicable Me 4 will hit cinemas in the United Kingdom on Friday, 12 July. Audiences in America will get to see the film a little earlier when it is released on Wednesday, 3 July.

Thanks to a deal between Universal and Netflix, Despicable Me 4 will eventually find its way onto the streamer after its theatrical window has closed but no home release details have been revealed just yet.

Is there a trailer for Despicable Me 4?

The first full trailer for Despicable Me 4 finds Gru trying his best to settle into a quiet family life in the suburbs but it’s not long before his shady past catches up to him.

With a new enemy on the loose, the family are forced to retreat to a safe house while Gru embarks on a nail-biting heist to save the day. Elsewhere, the trailer spends considerable time reintroducing us to the Minions and their calamitous ways.

Watch the trailer below:

What happens in Despicable Me 4?

Despicable Me 4 sees Gru enjoying his life as a reformed villain and new father to three adoptive girls and little baby Gru Jr who seems hellbent on giving his dad a hard time.

Despite starting life as an evil guy, he now works for the Anti-Villain League alongside his wife Lucy. Together, they’re pulled back into action when an evil criminal known as Maxime Le Mal escapes from jail.

According to the film’s official synopsis, the arrival of this new threat forces Gru and his family to “go on the run.” Other than that, most major plot details for Despicable Me 4 are still being kept under lock and key – but all will become clear when the film finally hits cinemas in early July.

Who is in the Despicable Me 4 cast?

Carrell returns to voice Gru, with his Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues co-star Kristen Wiig once again providing the voice of his on-screen wife Lucy.

The Anchorman reunion continues as Will Ferrell lends his voice to the film’s new big bad Maxime Le Mal, with Sofia Vergara voicing his femme-fatale girlfriend Valentina.

Steve Coogan co-stars as retired Anti-Villian League founder Silas Ramsbottom, with Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Madison Polan voicing Gru and Lucy’s adoptive children Margo, Edith and Agnes respectively.

Despicable Me 4 will also feature newcomers to the franchise, including Joey King as wannabe supervillain Poppy, and Chloe Fineman and Stephen Colbert as her parents.

Voice actor Pierre Coffin will also return to voice the Minions.

Despicable Me 4 will be released in UK cinemas on Friday, 12 July