Benjamin Bratt steps in to voice the villain Eduardo in “Despicable Me 2.”
Benjamin Bratt has stepped in to voice the villain Eduardo in Despicable Me 2, according to a report by Deadline.
He replaces Al Pacino, who exited the project over creative differences with Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment. Bratt, whose credits include Snitch, La Mission, The Woodsman and Traffic, is getting to work right away on a film that Universal is counting on for a major summer release.
“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,” the studio reportedly said in a statement. “We have mutually decided with Al to replace the voice of Eduardo with a new actor. Universal and Illumination thank Al for his many contributions to the process and look forward to a new actor bringing this memorable character to the screen upon its release this summer.”
Despicable Me 2 is the fourth film from Illumination Entertainment and the sequel to its 2010 hit Despicable Me, one of Universal’s most profitable films ever, earning upwards of $540 million worldwide on a $69 million budget.
The sequel is directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin, from a script written by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio, with Illumination founder Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy producing.
Despicable Me 2 opens in the U.S. on July 3, 2013.
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
