The Minions 4 & Story Future After New Despicable Me Prequel Addressed By Franchise Director

Will there be a Minions 4?

Minions franchise director Pierre Coffin has addressed the possibility of more movies after the newest Despicable Me prequel, Minions & Monsters. The seventh installment of the franchise, Minions & Monsters follows the Minions as they try to make a monster movie against the backdrop of 1920s Hollywood. They end up on a quest to find real monsters to star in their movie, resulting in chaos across California. Reviews for Minions & Monsters have been overwhelmingly positive, the movie currently holding an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 60 critic reviews.

In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Tatiana Hullender, Coffin, who directed Minions & Monsters and voices the titular Minions, spoke to the prospect of another movie in the franchise happening at some point in the future. The director explained that, while there are no concrete plans for future installments, he’d like to approach other movies in a “vignette” style, where each story sees the same characters in different places and time periods. His approach to the latest movie honors this idea, as he wanted it to feel completely different to any other film in the franchise.

Check out what Coffin had to say below:

ScreenRant: This was your revitalizing re-entrance into the Despicable Me franchise after some time away. Having done this, are you now inspired by more specific creative visions for the Minions, or was it your farewell for now?

Pierre Coffin: I don’t know. I always thought that these movies should be like little [vignettes]. We have this comic book in France called Asterix, where every [volume] is those main characters in different countries. I thought, “Man, this is so good,” because you can enjoy a scenic tour, but under the angle of comedy. I always thought it would be great to project them – and I’m talking about the franchise, not particular characters – in different times. Like, Japan in the Middle Ages, for example, or China. All these different either countries or time periods that would be inspiring. I’d like to just throw the Minions in there, and see if it’s funny, or if they survive. What story can you tell that’s original [and different] from the previous movie? The reason why I did this one is that I didn’t want to do more of the same, so I liked all these ideas of Hollywood in the ’20s, and of three different characters that we didn’t know – all these elements. And my producer Chris Meledandri just let me loose, which was great.

Coffin’s passionate viewpoint on where the franchise could go may inform its future approach. Minions & Monsters‘ story is set furthest in the past on the Despicable Me timeline, with previous Minions movies having taken place in the second half of the 20th century. This sets the precedent for future movies possibly taking place in other time periods, opening the door for the franchise to explore the Minions in different settings. Since they’re part of Earth’s history in the series, it’s viable for them to be anywhere Coffin and Illumination want to put them.

Although there’s no confirmation about when a possible Minions 4 could arrive, the franchise has remained strong overall, especially at the box office. Aside from the new Minions prequel, the latest movie was Despicable Me 4, which earned mixed reviews from critics. However, it performed well at the box office, earning $986.7 million against a $100 million budget. A similar fate may be in store for Minions & Monsters, which has an $85 million, but also stellar reviews to back it up.

Goomi and James with a lantern in Minions & Monsters

The strength of the franchise means it will likely continue in some form, with the idea of Minions across various points in time opening up endless possibilities for where the series could go. The prequels have proven how the series can still thrive without Gru, despite his formative importance to the larger narrative of the franchise. This makes different time periods a strong possibility, while leaving the door open to a continuation of the universe’s other narrative threads in the process.

Minions & Monsters has already grossed $16.5 million overseas before its US premiere, which is happening today, July 1, 2026. It’s a feat that proves the franchise has universal legs to stand on, meaning the story could go in any number of directions following its latest period piece. The setup is there, and Coffin’s vision seems like the perfect way for the series to go on virtually forever.