Is There Going To Be A Kung Fu Panda 4
Clinio Lofton
Kung Fu Panda 4 is on the way and there are already exciting updates about the newest Dreamworks hit. Originally debuting in 2008, the Kung Fu Panda series follows a clumsy panda named Po (Jack Black) who learns to harness his potential as a martial arts master. Noted for its slapstick humor, playful art style, and boisterous action, the Kung Fu Panda franchise has proven to be one of Dreamworks' biggest success stories.
Through the inclusion of TV shows, video games, theme park attractions, and a host of other media, Kung Fu Panda has remained viable even years after the debut of the first film. Unlike other animated series which tend to diminish over time, the Kung Fu Panda trilogy has maintained a positive reputation with critics and each entry has grossed at least $500 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). This dual success has made a fourth movie a necessity, and Universal is finally moving forward with Kung Fu Panda 4.
A few months after the release of the full trailer, the latest update sees a brand-new teaser trailer released for Kung Fu Panda 4 during the 2024 Super Bowl. Though light on the same story elements that make the full trailer so effective, the 30-second spot does show off the signature low-brow humor of the franchise and teases a bit of the partnership between Po and Zhen. It also hinted at a major battle between Po and the franchise's newest villain, Chameleon.
The Kung Fu Panda 4 release date is March 8, 2024. Although the expansion of the Kung Fu Panda franchise has continued through TV shows, the confirmation that Kung Fu Panda 4 was in development by DreamWorks Animation was unexpected. There was hope but not much of an expectation of a fourth installment, despite the Kung Fu Panda feature films being major successes at the box office.
Jack Black will return to voice Po, as he has throughout all three previous films. Awkwafina is joining the cast as the crafty thief Zhen who is trained by Po to become the newest Dragon Warrior. She will be joined by Oscar winners Viola Davis as Chameleon and Ke Huye Quan as Han. Davis' Chameleon is the new villain of Kung Fu Panda 4, a shapeshifter who uses her powers to embody all the traits of Po's former enemies.
In December 2023, it was confirmed that the entire Furious Five would be returning in Kung Fu Panda 4, as well as Master Shifu and Mr Ping, however, only two actors were officially confirmed. Given that the director has confirmed the return of the Five, it's highly likely that the actors will also be returning, but as this is teased as an 'appearance', it may be that the characters have only brief, non-speaking roles and the actors themselves are not going to be back for this installment.
Much is known about the plot of Kung Fu Panda 4, and the latest sequel will see Po (Black) attempt to find enlightenment on his path to becoming the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. However, standing in his path is the arrival of his most fearsome foe yet, the shapeshifting Chameleon (Viola Davis) who plans to use her powers to embody all of Po's greatest foes and finally destroy the Dragon Warrior once and for all. Helping Po in his fight is Zhen (Awkwafina), a fox who begins her training to become the new Dragon Warrior.
The first trailer for Kung Fu Panda 4 was released in December 2023, and it offers fans their first look at the returning Po as well as a slew of new characters making their debut. The trailer reveals the titular martial arts master as he seeks enlightenment to become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. It also reveals Viola Davis' The Chameleon, a shapeshifting villain who uses her powers to embody all of Po's greatest foes. Kung Fu Panda 4's newest hero, Zhen (Awkwafina), is also shown as she helps Po on her way to becoming the new Dragon Warrior.
Though the full trailer was quite revealing, another teaser for Kung Fu Panda 4 was released during the 2024 Super Bowl which featured all-new footage. Besides the typical low-brow humor that fans have come to expect from the flatulent Po, the teaser also showed off more of Zhen in action as well as the dangerous new villain, Chameleon. Since previous trailers have laid out the story, the latest Kung Fu Panda 4 teaser was all about hyping up the new movie.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is a 2024 American animated martial arts comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is the fourth installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise and the sequel to Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016). The film was directed by Mike Mitchell, who also serving as executive producer, co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine (in her feature directorial debut), from a screenplay written by Darren Lemke and the writing team of Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, and produced by Rebecca Huntley. It features Jack Black, Ian McShane, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, and Bryan Cranston reprising their roles from the previous films, with Awkwafina, Ke Huy Quan, Ronny Chieng, Lori Tan Chinn, and Viola Davis joining the cast as new characters. In the film, Po (Black), who must find and train his successor as the new Dragon Warrior, teams up with a young female corsac fox bandit named Zhen (Awkwafina) to defeat an evil sorceress The Chameleon (Davis), before she steals the kung-fu abilities of all masters in China.
Directors Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni were asked about the possibility of a fourth Kung Fu Panda film before the release of the third film in January 2016, with Nelson later saying in August 2018 that she was open to a fourth installment. DreamWorks officially announced the fourth film in August 2022, with Mitchell, Ma Stine, and Huntley attached as director, co-director, and producer, respectively, by April 2023. Most of the main voice cast, along with the return of Aibel and Berger as writers and co-producers, was announced in December 2023, following Awkwafina's casting in May of that year. Lemke's involvement was confirmed in February 2024. Composer Hans Zimmer, who had scored for the previous three installments, the first two with John Powell and the third alone, returned as composer alongside frequent collaborator Steve Mazzaro. Some additional production assets were borrowed from Jellyfish Pictures.
Kung Fu Panda 4 premiered at the AMC 14 Theater at The Grove in Los Angeles on March 3, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States on March 8. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a box-office success, grossing over $546 million worldwide, making it the fifth highest-grossing film of 2024.
In the Valley of Peace, Po, a giant panda who become the Dragon Warrior, with helps his fathers Li Shan and Mr. Ping open their new restaurant. Master Shifu then tells Po that he must advance and become a spiritual leader, which means Po can no longer be the Dragon Warrior and must find a suitable successor to take his place. Po struggles to choose the right candidate as he does not want to lose his status, and he stumbles upon a young female corsac fox bandit named Zhen trying to steal ancient weapons from the Jade Palace. Po is able to outsmart Zhen and send her to prison, but a group of mine workers tell him that Tai Lung has returned and destroyed an entire quarry. Zhen reveals that Tai Lung's return was masqueraded by an evil sorceress known as The Chameleon, who can shape-shift into any animal she wants as well as copying various kung fu skills simply by touching them.
Using the staff, The Chameleon summons every deceased kung fu master and steals their skills, including Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and General Kai. After escaping for good, Zhen reunites with Po, but he refuses to back down from facing The Chameleon, so she, Mr. Ping and Li head back to the Den of Thieves to convince them to help them save Po. As they battle The Chameleon's army of Komodo dragons, Po tries but fails to reason with The Chameleon, although she does give the staff back to him as she no longer needs it. They battle, but when Zhen intervenes, The Chameleon turns into a Chimera of several kung fu masters. After the battle, she then shifts into a copycat of Po, fights him, and soon traps him in a cage before reverting back to her original form. Putting his trust in Zhen, Po gives her the staff, with which she bests The Chameleon. Po, who was only pretending to be trapped, defeats The Chameleon using the staff and returns all of the stolen kung fu to their owners, who show respect to Po and return to the Spirit Realm, with Tai Lung taking The Chameleon with him.
While returning to the Valley of Peace, Po chooses Zhen as his successor, much to Shifu's annoyance. Confident with his choice, Po and the Furious Five help train Zhen to become the next Dragon Warrior.
The Furious Five make a brief non-speaking appearance in the end credits with the exception of Seth Rogen providing screams for Mantis. Lord Shen and General Kai also have non-speaking appearances when The Chameleon is summoning villains from the Spirit Realm. YouTuber Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson has a cameo as Panda Pig, a pig painted black-and-white who is one of the 5 candidates for the next Dragon Warrior.[9]
On December 3, 2010, then-DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said that there was a possibility the series could have three more sequels after Kung Fu Panda 3, bringing it to a six-film series.[10] On January 13, 2016, Collider asked the filmmakers of Kung Fu Panda 3 about the possibility of a fourth film. Co-director Jennifer Yuh Nelson stated, "It's one at a time. We want to make this a perfect jewel, and then we'll see what happens after that". Co-director Alessandro Carloni said, "With the sequels, we don't want to try to have them feel open-ended. We want it to feel like a completed journey, and we feel this movie does. And then, if a fantastic story presents itself, great".[11] On August 2, 2018, when asked about the possibility of Kung Fu Panda 4, Nelson replied that she always saw the series as a trilogy, but was open for a fourth installment as long as the franchise focused on Po.[12]
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