Everything we know about Minions 3

As we discovered in our Despicable Me movie timeline, Universal and Illumination’s popular animated series is more layered than you might think — and it will only get more layered with the impending arrival of Minions 3.

News of this spin-off sequel arrived as Despicable Me 4 took the box office by storm following its July release, transforming Gru’s (Steve Carell) Anti-Villian League exploits into an entertainment brand that has earned almost $5 billion in cinema ticket receipts. In fact, it’s so popular, it has become the biggest global animated franchise in history.

With such a high level of success, we’ll likely all be seeing Minions for a long time to come which is good news for both kids and fans of heavily pixelated memes shared on Facebook. Here’s what we know about what these little yellow guys will be getting up to in Minions 3.

When will Minions 3 be released?

Minions 3 will be released in cinemas on Wednesday 30 June 2027, three years after the arrival of Despicable Me 4 and five years after their last stand-alone film, Minions: The Rise of Gru, was released.

The sequel will be helmed by Pierre Coffin, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker who directed the first three Despicable Me movies and the Minions’ first spin-off film released in 2015.

Fun fact: Coffin is also responsible for the Minions’ iconic voices, having played the characters since their inception.

What is the plot of Minions 3?

At the time of writing, no plot details have been confirmed for Minions 3 but we know that it will be written by Brian Lynch, the screenwriter behind Minions and its follow-up Minions: The Rise of Gru.

In their first spin-off film, Lynch filled audiences in on the Minions’ backstory, explaining how they have been around since the beginning of time and constantly in search of an evil overlord to serve.

It’s a quest that saw them follow everything from a T-Rex, to Count Dracula and Napoleon Bonapart. However, their tendency to accidentally kill their leaders always seems to get in their way of their work.

Things changed when they met the villainous Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock), a relationship that eventually led them to cross paths with a young Gru at the end of 2015’s Minions.

We watched this relationship pan out further in 2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, all while discovering how their pointy-nosed master learned all the evil skills that set him up to be the evil supervillain we meet at the start of the first Despicable Me film.

With their last stand-alone outing bringing things relatively up to date with the start of the primary Despicable Me storyline, it’s hard to predict where Lynch might decide to place Minions 3.

Perhaps it will be set to the backdrop of a familiar Gru-centric storyline or maybe it'll take the Minions on a brand new adventure unconnected to the events of the previous films? Only time will tell.

Who will be starring in Minions 3?

So far, the only person we know for sure will be lending their voice to Minions 3 is Coffin who has given life to Minion-babble ever since it was first created.

While all other stars remain unconfirmed, we’re sure the franchise’s immense box-office appeal will lure in some big returning names. Top of the list is Carrell as Gru, a character who is intrinsically linked to the Minions.

It’s also possible that Will Arnett could be back to voice Mr Perkins and Steve Coogan could return as Silas Ramsbottom, both long-running characters in the Despicable Me universe.

However, until Universal and Illumination make an official announcement, all casting news remains speculative.

Minions 3 will hit cinemas on Wednesday 30 June 2027.