Al Pacino drops out of ‘Despicable Me 2’ over ‘creative differences’
“Despicable Me 2” is set for theaters July 4, so it would be strange for a cast member to drop out so close to release. That’s exactly what’s happening, though, as Universal Pictures has announced that Al Pacino has left the project, Deadline reports.
Pacino was cast to play the role of Eduardo, the film’s villain. A statement from the studio reads, “Over the production of ‘Despicable Me 2,’ there were creative differences between us and Al Pacino, who had been cast as the voice of Eduardo in the film. We have mutually decided with Al to replace the voice of Eduardo with a new actor.” They go on to thank Pacino, but note they look forward to a new actor taking over the role.
This close to release, it’s unclear how much of Pacino’s dialogue was recorded. The movie features the returning voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Russell Brand and Miranda Cosgrove. In the film, a reformed Gru (Carrell) joints the Anti-Villain League in their fight against the bad guys.