Legendary moviemaker George Lucas has been revealed as having a role in Illumination's upcoming Minions & Monsters movie. Seeing as how the film follows the Minions as they try to make their own blockbuster monster movie, who better to feature than the guy who created two of Hollywood's biggest franchises in Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Speaking to Collider, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri confirmed Lucas is featured in Monsters & Minions, explaining how the cameo came about. Apprently, Lucas is a big fan of the Despicable Me and Minions franchise, which jump-started the cameo conversation.
"I had this privilege of meeting George about two years ago, and what led to my meeting him is how much he loves Illumination movies, and specifically Despicable Me, and even more specifically, the Minions," Meledandri revealed. "It was such a thrill to learn that and then to share it with the team, because obviously he's among a very small group of people who the entire studio shares a level of respect for that is just off the charts."
Meledandri went on to explain that when an idea came up for Lucas to play himself in the film, he spoke with director Pierre Coffin, co-writer Brian Lynch, and producer Bill Ryan about getting the sci-fi moviemaking legend involved.
"An idea for a character came up out of the story, and so I said to Pierre [Coffin], who co-wrote the movie with Brian Lynch, and Bill Ryan, who produces with me on the film, and I just said, 'Well, what if we could get George?' And they're like, 'Are you kidding me?' I had no idea, but I got such a fast yes," Meledandri said. "It was incredible. So, we're thrilled to have him in the film. I saw him recently, and he's already talking to me about the role he wants to do next in the next Minions movie. So, it's pretty incredible."
Lucas recorded his lines while he and his wife, Mellody Hobson, were in Paris. Although Meledandri couldn't attend, he worked with Hobson to help organize the session.
"'Look, should we just get him into a recording booth just this week? Because Peter's there, you guys are there,'” he recalled of the effort. "And so, it just happened like that. Pierre met him at a recording studio in Paris, and it was done."
While Lucas doesn't make frequent self-cameos, he has had brief appearances in a few over the years, including Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Men in Black, and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. You'll be able to hear him in Minions & Monsters when it hits theaters on July 1.