Since the first film released in 2010, Despicable Me has grown into a massive franchise for Universal between four films, two Minions spin-offs, and a variety of specials and shorts following the supervillain-turned-superdad Gru. Despicable Me's ongoing success seems to hint that Universal and Illumination will try to keep the franchise going for as long as possible, a notion Despicable Me 4's own director says is the case as he and the studio look ahead.

Despicable Success

Longtime Despicable Me director and producer Chris Renaud sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss Despicable Me 4 when the conversation shifted toward the franchise's potential future. While Renaud did not confirm if any new film in the mainline series or Minions spinoff series was in the works, he said “a couple of things” have already been “discussed” ahead of the fourth film's July 3 release.

“I think that the world of the characters lends itself to multiple stories because they're human, they're very relatable,” Renaud said.

Scene from Despicable Me 4.

He went on to compare the franchise to the James Bond series, with Gru, his family, and the Minions being the ever-present “lifeblood” while new villains pop up to challenge them.

“Just to keep that character going, essentially, the way Bond operates is what villain is he up against,” Renaud said. “And there's an element of that here with Gru, like, okay, who's somebody fun like Maxime, and what's a new family dynamic that we can put him up against?”

Some fans would not be surprised if Renaud ends up having a significant hand in whatever comes next for the franchise in theaters, either.

Hands-On Approach

Renaud has been attached to Despicable Me since the first film released in 2010 where he, alongside Pierre Coffin, directed the animated feature for Universal and Illumination. The film wound up being a massive success for Universal as it grossed over $543 million at the worldwide box office and was met with largely positive reviews from critics and audiences.

After the first film, Renaud would go on to work on nearly ever theatrical release in the franchise's history including directing the second and fourth Despicable Me films and serving as executive producer on Despicable Me 3, Minions, and Minions: The Rise of Gru.

He has also worked on a variety of other Illumination films in different capacities during his time with the studio including The Lorax, The Secret Life of Pets, Sing, and The Grinch.

Despicable Me 4 picks up several years after the third film and follows Gru's family as they welcome in the newest member, infant Gru Jr., though the child is not very warm toward his father. As Gru tries to warm his new son up to him, he must also deal with an old rival, Maxime Le Mal, reemerging to wreak havoc on the family's life.

Despicable Me 4 is in theaters.