Jack Black is definitely not slowing down on his projects especially after The Super Mario Movie as he is now returning to voice Po in Kung Fu Panda 4. Before Black was Bowser, he has taken on different characters for animated film features and even video games.
In the 2002 movie Ice Age, he was Zeke who was one of the saber-tooth tigers belonging to the group led by Soto. In the film, Zeke was obsessed about ending Manfred the mammoth, mainly for food reasons.
Two years later he became Lenny in Shark Tale, the second-born son of Don Lino. Lenny is most probably the anti-thesis of sharks as he was a friendly, outgoing vegetarian great white shark. Not exactly the carnivorous great white like his father and brother.
Several movies, television series including The Simpsons later, he landed the role of Po. The Dragon Warrior in Kung Fu Panda back in 2008. The movie launched a franchise that now has 4 movies, 3 of which premiered in theatres adding up close to $2B in the worldwide box office. Which is most likely the main reason why Dreamworks has another movie in development for the franchise.
In fact, Black has always been Po since the franchise has also been active on television. The currently running Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight television series is actually the third instalment for the small screen under the franchise. Mitch Watson and Peter Hastings developed the animated streaming television series for Netflix.
Jack Black Soon Voices Po Again in Kung Fu Panda 4
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In an article from The Hollywood Reporter, Po’s voice actor, Jack Black came onstage with DreamWorks Animation during their presentation in this year’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas. The movie is in production and is already scheduled for a release on March 8 next year.
Jack Black, fresh from Super Mario Movie and Peaches song, got welcomed on stage as he introduced the upcoming Kung Fu Panda 4. He stated:
Po faces his biggest challenge ever. Will he survive?
Black shed some information about the upcoming movie. Po, the Dragon Warrior, will soon become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. The very place that he and the Furious Five have been protecting all this time. As for the new, continuing story, Po will be training on a new Kung Fu warrior. He will also encounter a new nemesis called the Chameleon.
What is interesting is that his new enemy has the ability to call on to the past villains. To which, Black stated:
Po has to defeat every one of them.
Without a doubt, everyone will be rooting for the adorable character to succeed in his endeavors in the newest instalment for the franchise. The presentation showcased Mike Mitchell of The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part to be at the helm on the fourth Kung Fu Panda movie. Co-directing for the project is a story artist in How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Stephanie Ma Stine. Meanwhile, Rebecca Huntley of The Bad Guys is to gain credit as its producer.
Jack Black Gets His Moves Back In Kung Fu Panda 4
Credit: Paramount Pictures
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Through the years, Kung Fu Panda has entertained at least two generations of youth. The first movie tackled the journey of self-discovery, the second was more on Po’s growth to independence and finding his own strength and the third was coming full circle into learning about where he came from. He drew strength from people who surrounded him while he protected them with all his might.
Perhaps more accurately, all this chi.
Personally, I cannot wait to see a fourth movie for Kung Fu Panda. The franchise has been well taken cared of and even though there have been many animated movies ever since its release, people still remember the franchise with fondness. Jack Black was able to capture that character fit to a tee.
Other than the upcoming DeamWorks project, Black has almost a handful of projects in the pipeline. He will soon appear as Sherman in Stepdude, Satan in Dear Santa, and Claptrap in Borderlands.
What do you think of Jack Black returning to Kung Fu Panda 4 as Po? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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