KUNG FU PANDA 4 (2024)
The DreamWorks franchise that began in 2008 gifted Black with one of his most enduring roles: kindly, kickass, black-and-white bear, Po.
‘I love kung-fu cinema so this is the only real opportunity to explore that world for me. I've just had a blast. When I first got the offer, [former DreamWorks CEO] Jeffrey Katzenberg liked what I did in and was like, “I just did , and things are kickin’ ass, and I think you'd be great as this panda.” At first, I was hesitant. I was like, “I don't know if I quite understand what the concept is.” He showed me a rough drawing of Po animated to a scene from . I got it in that moment. I was like, “Yeah, let's do it.” And it's been an incredible bucking bronco ride ever since. I guess it's just that combination that people love; they love martial arts and when you can mix comedy with that, it has that combustible sort of combination. Jackie Chan was able to do it really well for dozens of films. Stephen Chow did that to great effect with and . I think it's audience. Do I want to do any more? It's not up to me. I could see them going, “Oh, now there's a bunch of baby pandas. It's – with a ‘Z’.” But I'm always down to clown. You know I'm ready to party.’
