Steve Carell knows what he'd like to see in Despicable Me 5

Watch: Steve Carell discusses what he'd like to see in a potential Despicable Me 5

Despicable Me 4 is in cinemas, and it won't be long til fans of the franchise begin to wonder if, and when, another sequel will be in the works from Illumination.

The animated movie follows villain Gru (Steve Carell) and his family, complete with newest member Gru Jr, as they thwart the efforts of fiend Maxime le Mal (Will Ferrell) who becomes obsessed with the notion of taking his old schoolmate down. The family are forced to change their identities and seek a safe house in order to avoid Maxime, but fate has other things in store for them.

Read more: Steve Carell thinks parents will relate to Despicable Me 4

Despicable Me 4 keeps things open for a potential follow-up, and Carrell tells Yahoo UK that he'd be more than happy to head up a new film in the franchise. He even has some ideas of what he'd like to see in the sequel, though he's always ready to defer to the creative team's judgement on the matter.

Reflecting on what could happen in a potential Despicable Me 5, Carrell says: "I don't you know, that's up to the writers. Far be it for me to [say], they've always chosen great paths to take with these characters so I'm always excited to see what they're coming up with, you know?

"Whether it's a new character, they're introducing a new family member, something that kind of disrupts the family unit or disrupts his professional life. So I would leave it to them, but I think it could go any different direction.

"I think something's going to involve Gru jr, that is my [thought] because it's a really funny character and a funny relationship that he has with his dad and I'd like to see where the two of them end up."

Illumination has not yet shared plans for a fifth movie in the Despicable Me franchise, however given the continued success of the animated films it hardly seems an unlikely outcome. There's also the Minions to consider, Gru's plucky sidekicks who have fronted two movies of their own already and could well be put front and centre again.

Read more: The Despicable Me and Minions timeline explained

Either way, Carell is up for doing more and that's all that matters. After all, you can't have a Despicable Me film without the notorious villain Gru at the heart of it.

Despicable Me 4 is out in cinemas now.