Kung Fu Panda 4 is going international with a brand-new movie poster to highlight all the new and returning characters in the franchise’s latest installment. Jack Black returns as the beloved Panda Po, as he masters the role of Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. Instead of fighting as the Dragon Warrior, Po is on the lookout for his successor, as he must train someone to take up his old mantle. Something that he once learned from Master Shifu (often voiced by Dustin Hoffman).
The third installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise came out in 2016—aka eight years ago. The film was a celebrated success with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 87%, grossing over $521M at the box office worldwide. However, even with all those amazing stats, it took a long time for the fourth film to begin. Collider was able to sit down with Kung Fu Panda‘s director Mike Mitchell and producer Rebecca Huntley to get the full scoop on why it took so long for audiences to get a new film in the franchise.
According to Huntley, “We wanted to make sure that we had the best story moving forward, and that took a while… we needed to make sure that we had the proper story to tell that would allow our lead character to evolve and learn, and we wanted to find the right theme.” And with that time can new characters, as they wanted to “really lock in on a great villain.” Bringing them created The Chameleon, a villain that mirrors Po in many ways. Like he was in the first film, she’s underestimated and must go on the same path as Po to prove herself. However, while he became a hero, she became a villain. “No one believed that she could be so powerful, no one believed that she could do kung fu, and like Po, she rose to the top of her game. So, Po has become the greatest hero, and now she’s the greatest villain.”
Where Are the Furious Five in the International Movie Poster for ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’?
Not to worry, Po won’t be heading into battle without his trusted companions by his side. Especially since the stakes are even higher in the fourth film thanks to the mysterious powers of Po’s latest threat, The Chameleon (Viola Davis). She has the power to summon back previous enemies that Po fought in past installments, such as fan-favorite villain Tai Lung (voiced by Ian McShane). According to Mitchell, The Chameleon is “more supernatural than any other of the villains put together,” making her a serious threat. And by casting Davis in the role, she becomes “the biggest, most powerful character of all time.” So, just to recap, this means, not only must Po settle into his new role and find a Drago Warrior replacement, but he also has to fight the enemies of his past while defeating, arguably his biggest threat to date, all in one. Sounds exhausting.
But, with the combined power of his friends, we just know that Po will come out victorious. The Furious Five will be right by his side as Master Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Master Monkey (Jackie Chan), Master Crane (David Cross), Master Viper (Lucy Liu), and Master Mantis (Seth Rogen) are all set to reprise their roles for the fourth animated film. They’ll be joined by a few new faces on Po’s quest to stop The Chameleon, including the fast-talking thief Zhen (Awkwafina), and the leader of the Den of Thieves, Han (Ke Huy Quan).
Kung Fu Panda 4 will hit theaters on March 8. Until then, take a look at the new movie poster below:
via Collider