Illumination Studios confirmed that a Despicable Me villain will return for a surprise spin-off short film in December 2023.
The first Despicable Me movie focused on villain-turned-hero Gru (Steve Carrell) as he became a father to three orphaned girls while in a bitter rivalry with his unexpected nemesis and newbie villain Vector (Jason Segel).
The film ended with Gru successfully defeating Vector and stranding him on the moon while settling down on a new life with the former orphans. Since then, little has been known if Vector is still stranded on the moon.
Despicable Me's Main Villain Set to Return in New Spin-Off
In a post from TikTok, Illumination Studios, via the Minions official page, announced that a new spin-off short film titled Mooned that centers around Vector will be released in theaters in front of the studio's next animation film, Migration.
The spin-off's poster can be seen in the background of the video that is teasing a space mission.
Mooned will bring back Jason Segel as the voice of Despicable Me villain Vector. Joining him is Despicable Me co-director and French animator Pierre Coffin as the primary voice of the minions.
Vector was last seen stranded on the moon. It seemed as if he had no problems then since he was dancing to the tune of Bee Gee's You Should Be Dancing alongside a lone minion who was also trapped with him.
Migration will premiere in theaters on Friday, December 22.
What Will Happen in Vector's Despicable Me Spin-Off?
There's a good chance that the events of Mooned will begin moments after Despicable Me's ending.
Given that Pierre Coffin is involved, it may revolve around the unexpected friendship between Vector and the minion who was trapped with him on the moon.
Whether or not Vector and the minion would be able to go back home on Earth remains to be seen but Mooned could serve as the perfect opportunity to showcase the other side of Jason Segel's Despicable Me villain.
Similar to Gru's journey, Vector's soft side could also be unveiled since he could end up protecting and forming a bond with the lone minion.
Interestingly, as pointed out by Screen Rant, the Despicable Me 3 Blu-ray extras teased that Vector is still alive and well during the threequel's events. This was noted in one of the files that Gru was able to gain access to as part of the Anti-Villain League.
Based on that reveal, it seems that Vector and the minion are getting along on the moon, and it would be interesting to find out how they managed to survive all these years.
Mooned is set to premiere in theaters in front of Migration on December 22.
