Yup, folks! We are also wondering where the hell is ‘Furious Five’ in Kung Fu Panda 4. The upcoming sequel’s promotional clips show no sign of Tigress, Viper, Mantis, Monkey, and Crane. In addition, they are not present in DreamWorks’ latest poster for Kung Fu Panda 4.
The following new poster shows our beloved Po in the center. Other familiar characters in the poster are Master Shifu, Li Shan (Po’s father), and Tai Lung. Among the new characters are Zhen (voiced by Awkwafina), The Chameleon (voiced by Viola Davis), and a trio of cute little bunnies. Check out the poster below!
New poster for ‘KUNG FU PANDA 4’. pic.twitter.com/5dG9KvB9MD
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 19, 2024
Director Mike Mitchell talked about Furious Five’s absence in Kung Fu Panda 4 with Collider some time ago. He revealed that the group of kung fu warriors will make an appearance in the upcoming fourth entry. Although, he did not disclose whether they would have cameos or full-fledged roles in the film. It seems like their roles will be short this time.
In addition, Mitchell also guaranteed that fans would witness more new characters in the fourth entry. “Every single character that you remember comes back, and a few villains that I don’t want to spoil. But really, we wanted to introduce a whole slew of new characters which we did,” he said.
However, fans are not ecstatic about the absence of Furious Five in Kung Fu Panda 4. And their disappointment is understandable, considering the group’s importance in Po’s life. All five members have aided The Dragon Warrior whenever he needed them. Among all the members, Tigress is the one who is closest to him. Together, they have taken down many baddies and protected their city on countless occasions.
Some fans think that DreamWorks’ decision to not include Furious Five in the fourth Kung Fu Panda feature project resulted from the average box office performance of Kung Fu Panda 3. The third entry, despite earning critical acclaim, failed to surpass the box office collections of its predecessors, managing to mint nearly $521 million globally. The addition of Furious Five would have included talents like Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, and Seth Rogen in the fourth part. And this scenario would have surely increased the forthcoming film’s budget. DreamWorks’ decision to exclude Furious Five can be seen as a cost-saving measure, allowing the studio to reap more profit than Kung Fu Panda 3.
Led by Jack Black, Kung Fu Panda 4 will come out in theatres worldwide on March 8, 2024. Stay tuned for more updates.