Despicable Me 4 already in production, says Steve Carell

Rejoice, parents: Despicable Me 4 is already in the works, according to its star Steve Carell.

Speaking to Digital Spy, Carell, who plays (supposed) villain Felonius Gru, said that the fourth official Despicable Me film was already in the works.

"I’ve started [recording]; we’ve done a couple of sessions so far," he said.

“It’s a continuation of the story. Gru and Lucy [Kristen Wiig] are married; they’re a family at this point. It’s the next step in their world with the Anti-Villain League and how their kids are included in the whole process.”

"It’s the most logical next step in the continuation of their story as a family together."

While Gru’s last official appearance (alongside wife Lucy and children Margot, Edith and Agnes) was in the third Despicable Me film, which saw him booted out of the Anti-Villain League and meet his long-lost twin Dru, the minions have made several appearances since then, most notably in the recent film Minions: The Rise of Gru.

The film, which is due to be released on July 1, tells the story of how the young Gru and the minions became supervillains in the first place.

It also boasts a star-studded cast, with Michelle Yeoh and Jean-Claude Van Damme joining the fold as members of the Vicious 6, a supervillain group that Gru idolises.

However, Carell told Digital Spy that the cast never meets in real life, due to recording their parts in sound booths.

"You meet these people that worked on the film that you’ve never met. It’s exciting too. I can say, ‘Yeah, I’ve worked with Julie Andrews.’ Put that on my résumé; she played my mother," he said.

"It’s also a badge of honour like these people jumping in and being in these movies. I think it’s a testament to the series as well, that people want to be a part of it.”

However, he admitted that he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the minions at first.

"When they were first described to me, I couldn’t for the life of me understand what they were talking about,” he admitted.

"Then when you saw them in the film, it completely made sense. I think the fact that they’re all in good fun, there’s a kindness that underlies all of it and a decency and a love and a sweetness to it all, and they’re funny.”

Despicable Me has been popular ever since the first film was released in 2010.

Starring Carrel as Gru alongside a cast of yellow minions, the franchise has gone onto become the highest-grossing animated film franchise of all time, raking in $3.7bn over 12 years.