George Lucas makes surprise return to movies in an unexpected way
George Lucas makes surprise return to movies in an unexpected way
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYSun, June 21, 2026 at 3:37 PM UTC
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"Star Wars" returned to movie theaters this summer with "The Mandalorian and Grogu," but creator George Lucas' own film comeback is happening in a way no one saw coming.
Lucas, who stepped away from Hollywood after selling "Star Wars" to Disney in 2012, is making a return to movies in an unexpected way: He has a voice role in the new animated movie "Minions & Monsters," a continuation of the "Despicable Me" franchise, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri told Collider.
The animation studio head revealed he met Lucas two years ago because the "Star Wars" director loves Illumination's movies, "specifically 'Despicable Me,' and even more specifically, the Minions." So while working on the new "Minions" installment, the team came up with the idea of having Lucas appear.
George Lucas attends the Los Angeles County Museum of Art opening gala in Los Angeles, on April 16, 2026.
While the role appears to just be a small cameo, Lucas is apparently already angling to return for future "Minions" sequels.
"I got such a fast yes," Meledandri told Collider. "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 largely retired from movies after selling his company Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012. Every "Star Wars" movie since then has been made without his direct involvement, though he received a producing credit on 2023's "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," having created the character of Indiana Jones with Steven Spielberg. He also received a producing and story credit on the 2015 animated movie "Strange Magic." Lucas' most recent film as a director was 2005's "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith," the end of the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy.
George Lucas attends the WSJ Innovator Awards in New York on Oct. 29, 2025.
At his first Comic-Con, George Lucas previews Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
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In recent years, Lucas has been focused on his long-in-the-works Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which is set to open in September. He sat down for his first panel at San Diego Comic-Con in 2025 to promote the museum, which he called a "temple to the people's art."
"Minions & Monsters" will be Lucas' first acting credit since he voiced himself in the animated comedy "Robot Chicken" in 2007, according to IMDb. Before that, he had a small cameo as an alien in "Revenge of the Sith" in 2005 and also played himself in an episode of "The O.C." that same year.
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Further details about Lucas' cameo weren't revealed, but "Minions & Monsters" centers on the Minions heading to Hollywood in the 1920s. "This is the rambunctious, ridiculous and totally true story of how the Minions conquered Hollywood, became movie stars, lost everything, unleashed monsters onto the world and then banded together to try and save the planet from the mayhem they had just created," the plot synopsis reads.
Lucas recently stepped out with his wife, Mellody Hobson, to attend the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center on June 18.
Contributing: Brian Truitt
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Lucas returns to movies with an unexpected new role
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
