Released in the summer of 2010, Despicable Me ended up making a boatload of money and, more than that, received its share of positive reviews. Sensing more dollar signs in their future, Universal and Illumination are going forward with a sequel that already has directors (Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud) and a date set: July 3rd, 2013. But, as production gears up, one actor won’t be joining in. HeatVision [via CinemaBlend] reports that Javier Bardem has decided to not voice the lead villain in the sequel, despite an offer that was made in early October.
The villain, named El Macho (Spanish for “The Macho”), is an evil genius who is also a single parent, much like Gru (voice of Steve Carell), but with sons rather than daughters. Plot details are mum, but it’s said that their similar predicaments would pair them together to… I don’t know, take them to the zoo? Buy them ice cream? Go to a Pharrell concert? Could be any of that. Either way, Gru’s minions will show up and do a bunch of slapstick to the delight of kids, so the point is really moot. Outside of a marketable name, losing Bardem won’t be the end of the world; anyone could most likely do this role competently. Just as a precaution, though, someone get George Lopez locked into a Beverly Hills Chihuahua sequel so he can’t replace Anton.
Even though Despicable Me 2 (read that out loud, it’s… not funny now that I think about it) is now off the table, Bardem still has his plate full. His most high profile role is that of the antagonist to Daniel Craig‘s 007 in the next James Bond movie, Skyfall, due out November 9th of this year. He’s also got a role in Terrence Malick‘s next movie, which stars Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams. And if neither of those appeal to you, go watch Biutiful on Netflix Watch Instantly; it’s possibly his best performance so far.
Any interest in a Despicable Me sequel? When you get down to brass tacks, does losing Bardem actually mean anything positive or negative?