The Real Reason Will Ferrell Didn't Return For Megamind 2
In March 2024, DreamWorks Animation Television released the long-awaited sequel to the iconic "Megamind." When the OG film debuted in 2010, it was a mild critical and commercial success, serving as decent theatrical fare for DreamWorks. After its release, "Megamind" became a key text for Gen Z, becoming the subject of several memes, making it one of the studio's most culturally relevant pictures. While a theatrical sequel never manifested, the studio is continuing the superhero film's legacy with the Peacock-exclusive "Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate." Unfortunately, comedy genius Will Ferrell isn't in Megamind's shoes anymore, with the character now being voiced by Keith Ferguson.
While speaking with Screen Rant, "Megamind 2" co-writer Brent Simons revealed, "Yeah, there's a lot of internal discussions we're not privy to, but I think it ultimately usually comes down to the time." Simmons went on to add, "But also, we were lucky enough to get Keith Ferguson, who was Megamind's voice in a lot of video games, and some of the commercials when the movie came out." Simmons went on to point out that Ferguson has proven himself as a performer who can mimic Ferrell's voice.
"Megamind 2" co-writer Alan Schoolcraft also chimed in by pointing out that Ferguson has voiced Megamind more than Ferrell has, saying, "Yeah, so Will Ferrell has only done the voice for, you know, 85 minutes whereas Keith has now done it for 10 hours."
Will Ferrell's presence is sorely missed in Megamind 2
The voice cast of the original "Megamind" featured heavyweights in the form of Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill, Tina Fey, and Brad Pitt, none of whom have been brought back for new offerings "Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate" and the companion series "Megamind Rules!" This isn't the first controversial thing that DreamWorks has done, but seeing as the "Megamind" sequel and series are streaming offerings, it's fair to suggest that DreamWorks possibly elected to not bring the A-listers back for budgetary reasons.
While speaking with Screen Rant, "Megamind 2" director Eric Fogel opened up about DreamWork's philosophy surrounding recasting voice actors, shedding light on the production process for Megamind's sophomore outing. "There's a term that DreamWorks likes to use when trying to find these voice actors to replace people from the movies. They don't like to call them soundalikes, they call them feelalikes," Fogel said, adding that Keith Ferguson was able to build on Megamind's character and personality.
The efforts of "Megamind 2" can be appreciated, but the film has largely been maligned by audiences. "Megamind 2" has been obliterated by fans on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, leading to poor user reviews, with many criticizing the sequel's production value, animation style, shoddy narrative, and lack of returning voice actors. For fans, "Megamind 2" is nothing short of disappointing, as it fails to build upon the legacy created by the first picture. And without Ferrell's talents, it seems like "Megamind 2" was dead on arrival the moment it debuted on Peacock.