It has been nearly eight years since Kung Fu Panda graced the big screen with their third film in the franchise. Po (Jack Black) has advanced to become the Dragon Warrior, as well as a “sifu” (teacher) for pandas and villagers alike. His story seemed to have concluded. But for Kung Fu Panda 4 directors Mike Mitchell and Stephanie Stine and producer Rebecca Huntley, they knew there was more to tell about Po’s journey. 

“We didn’t want to start making this film until we’re sure that we had a great story – an epic story,” Mitchell tells The Nerds of Color over Zoom. “We wanted to make sure that Po was evolving and had a place to go. That was really important to us.

In Kung Fu Panda 4, Po is told he is to become the Spiritual Leader of Inner Peace, but he doesn’t feel quite ready for the job. In the meantime, he faces a new evil foe, the Chameleon (Viola Davis), who is determined to take Po’s Staff of Wisdom to absorb all the Kung Fu of every villain to become the ultimate villain. Po must form his own army to fight against the Chameleon and finds help in the form of thief Zhen (Awkwafina) and her crew of thieves and conmen – which includes adorable, but deadly baby bunnies.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” says Mitchell. “No one thought Po could become the Dragon Warrior because how could a portly panda fight Kung Fu and do it so well. He does it without changing himself. Everyone underestimates our villain, this small chameleon with a powerful voice, but don’t underestimate her. She’s got a lot of brains and is very clever. Furthermore, don’t underestimate a cute bunny. Please don’t approach a bunny just because it’s got big eyes and is cute because it will attack you and rip you to shreds.”

The franchise has always followed the formula of never underestimating a person and that everyone has potential for something greater. Though Po seems content with his position as the Dragon Warrior, Po is just building on his abilities, while also not changing who he is. Yet, Po has been in his own world in the Valley of Peace – seeing things in “black and white”, when the world is really gray. He sees that when he meets the den of thieves led by Zhen, who are very happy with where they are and just stay where they are. Po is a bit confused if they’re the “good guys” or the “bad guys” when there is so much more depth to explore. 

“[Po] needs to learn to embrace that there are all kinds of people out there in the world and part of the reason that the script exists is to show him that it’s okay to be totally okay to be who you are,” Stine explains. “It’s not scary to change either.”

As for change within the franchise, the first film premiered in 2008 when the idea of Asian performers as the lead characters, based on Chinese mythology, was not a topic of issue. For this film, the creative team made sure Asian – especially Chinese – actors were given hearty roles as the stories centered the culture. 

Huntley, who co-produced the Dreamworks-Pearl Studio film Abominable, says they’ve made great strides in the company to be more diverse, inclusive, and have better representation. The new additions to the cast include Awkwafina, Ronny Chieng, Ke Huy Quan, Lori Tan Chinn, Harry Shum Jr., and many more.

“We certainly love our original cast members coming back, but we really wanted to make sure that with our expanding world, we were mindful and wanted to bring in more representation into our cast,” says Huntley. 

Mitchell adds, “Specifically, Chinese representation.”

Stine, who is Chinese American, was most excited to work with Quan. After his Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All At Once, she zoned in on his casting with the studio. She was ecstatic to be working with Awkwafina as well.

“[Awkwafina] and Jack Black were already friends and made it easy,” Stine laughs. “She brought an authenticity to her character and that was very important to us.”

Though the Kung Fu Panda films have been spread out throughout the years to prevent “sequel fatigue” aka “superhero fatigue,” the filmmakers understand there may be some hesitation in another film. But, what makes Kung Fu Panda 4 different is that it’s not following a formula that has been done before. They promised several twists and turns in the plot and a satisfying story for Po.

“I think something that can contribute to “superhero fatigue” is that perhaps a lot of these movies make you feel a little bit formulaic,” Stine explains. “Something that’s really great about Kung Fu Panda 4 is that we don’t go down that route. We have certain story elements that I think everyone will be surprised by.” 

Kung Fu Panda 4 is very different from the previous films. Though fans can expect Po being Po – bouncy, enthusiastic, and funny, the story is going to evolve Po’s journey as well as present an evil sorceress that is even more powerful than the prior three villains. This film will also be more grand in size as they have huge crowded locations with animals of different shapes and sizes. 

“We really did everything we could to ensure that this isn’t just another [Kung Fu Panda movie],” says Mitchell. “We’re really making something that deserves to be seen.”

Kung Fu Panda 4 opens in theaters on March 8.