Kung Fu Panda 4isa classic passing-of-the-torch story, following Po ashis time as the Dragon Warrior nears an end. He’s chosen to become the new spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, forcing him to find a successor to take up his title and continue defending the land from evil. Before he can select the perfect candidate, however, a new threat known asThe Chameleon (Viola Davis)sets her gaze on the Staff of Wisdom in hopes of opening the path to the Spirit Realm. The crafty shapeshifter is capable ofmimicking some of Po’s greatest foesfrom adventures past, and even stealing the martial arts prowess of the masters. In the face of such a threat that could wield his past against him, he journeys to Juniper City with Zhen to put an end to her machinations.
DreamWorks veteranMike Mitchell(Shrek Forever After) was tapped to direct the latest sequel, withJonathan AibelandGlenn Berger, who wrote the screenplays for the original threeKung Fu Pandamovies, picking up the pen once again alongsideShazam!co-writerDarren Lemke. It wasn’t just Black and the writers who returned,as most of the original cast, aside fromall but one of the Furious Five, were also back in the fold. That includesIan McShane, who reprised his role as Tai Lung from the first film in 2008, alongsideJames Hong, Dustin Hoffman, Bryan Cranston, andSeth Rogen. Newcomers, meanwhile, included Awkwafina, Davis,Ke Huy Quan,Ronny Chieng,Lori Tan Chinn, andHarry Shum Jr.
What Does the Future Hold for ‘Kung Fu Panda’?
Although there’s a new Dragon Warrior, it doesn’t sound like Po hasgiven his last Skadoosh. The success ofKung Fu Panda 4has left the door open for sequels, and, according to Mitchell,there may be plans for a fifth installment and beyond,so long as Black is on board. Ina conversation with ComicBook last year, he shared his belief that the titular Panda could “last forever” in theA Minecraft Moviestar’s hands, and expressed interest in taking the story to new, bigger places. “There’s so much story to tell and it never feels to me like it would be something intimate,” he said. “It’s always got big action. It’s hard for me to imagine it’s just taking place in one room. I mean, we had so many ideas from this film that we just couldn’t fit in.“One thing he’d like to remedy is the distinct lack of The Furious Five, either in a new installment or a spin-off to highlight the martial arts masters.
For now, though,no official announcements have been made about the franchise’s future. In the meantime, there’s still time to watchKung Fu Panda 4on Netflix before it departs on August 21. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the latest films coming to and leaving streaming throughout the year.
Kung Fu Panda 4
