Despicable Me 4 fulfills Steve Carell’s franchise aspiration only two years after the actor made mention of it. From the outside looking in, it doesn’t appear that anymore could be asked of the Despicable Me franchise. With five widely-adored film entries, including the two spinoff prequels Minions and Minions: The Rise of Gru, the Despicable Me franchise has grossed nearly $5 billion worldwide and its IP has burgeoned into outside media, such as television specials, video games, and theme park attractions at Universal Studios in Florida, Hollywood, and Japan.

On top of the reach and commercial success of the Despicable Me franchise, the movies are just downright enjoyable. Their blend of light comedy and fun, silly adventures and, of course, having Carell in the lead as the main protagonist and former supervillain Gru keeps new franchise installments coming, like the impending Despicable Me 4. However, as with anything, there’s always room for improvement or added extra flare – an idea Carell may have been conscious of when voicing his big dream for the Despicable Me franchise back in 2022.

Steve Carell’s Dream Of Will Ferrell Joining The Franchise Happens With Despicable Me 4

Ferrell Will Voice Main Antagonist Maxime Le Mal

Around the time of Minions: The Rise of Gru, Carell voiced a desire to cast his famous friends in a future franchise movie during an interview with Sky News. In it, he discussed how enjoyable voice acting for the Despicable Me franchise movies has been, gushing that they provided a collaborative space he felt was easy to play around in and admitting that he’d love for any of his close contemporaries to experience it. Despite extending the desire to all his friends, Carell specifically name-dropped Will Ferrell, who was subsequently cast for Despicable Me 4.

In more than just fulfilling Carell’s dream, Despicable Me 4 places Ferrell in a major role. He voices Despicable Me 4’s leading villain, Maxime Le Mal, a prison escapee intent on hunting Gru down for revenge. Pitting Ferrell’s new villain against Carell’s Gru, especially in light of the close history the two comedy actors share, should be the perfect recipe for another successful Despicable Me movie that not only is a big crowd-puller like the rest of them but becomes one of the funniest entries the franchise has to offer.

Steve Carell & Will Ferrell’s History Makes Despicable Me 4 More Exciting

Despicable Me 4 May Be The Funniest Franchise Film Yet

The Despicable Me franchise never lacked the talent for big laughs, having previously featured prominent comedic actors like Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, Jason Segel, and Jenny Slate alongside Carell. Though, as friends and friends who have worked on other beloved comedy projects together, Ferrell and Carell have the potential to bring another level of comedic chemistry to the Despicable Me franchise. Perhaps, most notably, is their collaboration in the Anchorman franchise, where they portrayed newscasters at a San Diego television station. However, they’ve also appeared in a handful of other movies that have become testaments to their combined comedic capability.

Additionally, the protagonist versus antagonist dynamic Despicable Me puts the famous friends in has the potential to be thoroughly hilarious. As Carell mentioned previously, the franchise gives its actors the freedom to have fun. Audiences have seen and heard what Carell has been able to accomplish with Gru. Adding Ferrell to the picture and giving him such an uproarious character and storyline provides Despicable Me 4 with the perfect elements to be the funniest franchise film yet.