Illumination founder Chris Meledandri recently told Collider that George Lucas voices a character in “Minions & Monsters,” which hits theaters on July 1.

“I had this privilege of meeting George about two years ago, and what led to my meeting him is how much he loves Illumination movies, and specifically ‘Despicable Me,’ and even more specifically, the Minions,” Meledandri said. “It was such a thrill to learn that and then to share it with the team, because obviously he’s among a very small group of people who the entire studio shares a level of respect for that is just off the charts.”

Meledandri said it was his initial sitdown with Lucas that sparked the idea of putting him in “Minions & Monsters.”

He added, “An idea for a character came up out of the story, and so I said to Pierre [Coffin], who co-wrote the movie with Brian Lynch, and Bill Ryan, who produces with me on the film, and I just said, ‘Well, what if we could get George?’ And they’re like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I had no idea, but I got such a fast yes.”

Meledandri shared that Lucas was enthusiastic about getting in the booth again whenever the next Minions film begins production.

“I saw him recently,” Meledandri recalled, “and he’s already talking to me about the role he wants to do next in the next Minions movie. So, it’s pretty incredible.”

Directed by Pierre Coffin and Patrick Delage, “Minions & Monsters” follows the titular yellow henchmen as they attempt to film a monster movie in 1920s Hollywood. Other members of the voice cast include Coffin, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, Jeff Bridges, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Phil LaMarr and Trey Parker.