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Jack Black teases Po's 'biggest challenge ever' in 'Kung Fu Panda 4'
The Kung Fu Panda star laid out Po's next adventure for the CinemaCon crowd.
In a little less than a year, Po the Panda will head back to theaters with DreamWorks Animation's fourth big-screen Kung Fu Panda adventure. Given the franchise's track record, we can expect big things from Kung Fu Panda 4, even though we haven't seen footage from the film just yet. Even at this week's CinemaCon, where exclusive sneak peeks are coming from every studio, the new film went without a trailer, but that didn't stop star Jack Black from laying out the plot himself.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Black took the stage at the Vegas convention Thursday as part of DreamWorks Animation's presentation of its upcoming films, which also includes the next Trolls installment, Trolls Band Together, and the upcoming Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken. But since he didn't have any footage to introduce, Black simply grabbed a microphone, cued up some dramatic music, and laid out the plot for Kung Fu Panda 4 in his own, inimitable style.
“Po faces his biggest challenge ever," Black told the crowd about the new film. "Will he survive?”
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According to Black, Po has embraced his role as the Dragon Warrior and is working to fulfill his duties as a kind of spiritual leader in his homeland, the Valley of Peace. But of course, being a leader means having a plan in place in case you can no longer lead, which leads Po off on a search for a worthy successor he can train to take over.
It's a lot of responsibility, but there are other problems to deal with in the Valley. A new villain, The Chameleon, has emerged, with a powerful and frightening ability. Black told CinemaCon that The Chameleon is able to not just fight Po himself, but to summon other villains from throughout Po's past. That's right, it's a Kung Fu Panda villain reunion, which might give Po more than he can handle.
“Po has to defeat every one of them,” Black said.
It sounds like a lot more animated kung fu fun, and we can probably expect a star-packed voice cast to be along for the ride.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is in theaters March 8, 2024.
Looking for more great films from DreamWorks Animation in the meantime? Check out Turbo, Shrek, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and more, now streaming on Peacock!
