LAS VEGAS — Steve Carell will do double duty in the animated Despicable Me 3.
Carell will not only voice the lead villainous character Gru, as he has in the first two installments of the franchise, but also Gru's identical-twin brother Dru in the new film to be released June 30, 2017.
"I promise, Carell has crafted an equally infectious performance (for Dru)," said Chris Meledandri, Illumination Entertainment CEO, of the casting. Meledandri spoke Wednesday during Universal Studios' presentation at the CinemaCon convention of theater owners.
Meledandri said Gru will find this long-lost brother in the new film, which will propel the plot. The competitive nature between the brothers will be stoked by Dru's excellent head of blond hair, while Gru is bald.
While Gru is a curmudgeon, Dru is warm and charming, "a guy who everyone immediately loves," said Meledandri.
"The heart of Despicable Me 3 is sibling rivalry," Meledandri said. "This relationship forms the emotional spine of the story."
Despicable Me 3 will also have a villain in Balthazar Bratt, a former '80s child star. Bratt will be Gru's "most formidable nemesis" who is driven to villainy because of the abrupt cancellation of his TV series after he hit puberty. His next goal: world domination and revenge on his many detractors.
Meledandri announced that South Park creator Trey Parker will voice Bratt.
"We discovered that no one has ever asked (Parker) to do a voice outside of his own projects," said Meledandri. "It was the first time he had ever been directed by anyone other than himself."
The Despicable Me movies and Minions spinoff have grossed nearly $1 billion in U.S. box office.
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