‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ Cast, Trailer & Spoilers: Film Takes on ‘Star Wars’ Vibe, Promises “Return of the Legend”

Jack Black
'Kung Fu Panda 3' voice actor Jack Black |

As the first trailer for Kung Fu Panda 3 revealed, Po had already met his father, Li, and neither of them were actually aware that they have come across each other's paths.

As such, a recently unveiled trailer for the third installment crosses over to an upcoming movie from another franchise- "Star Wars: The Force Awakens'- and promises that a certain Father will "rise."

As stated in the film's official synopsis, Po's long-lost panda father reappears, and the reunited duo pays a visit to a secret panda paradise to meet numerous other hilarious panda characters.

However, when the villain Kai uses his supernatural powers to sweep across China in order to triumph over the kung fu masters, "Po must do the impossible"”learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas!"

Led by Jack Black as the panda martial artist Po, "Kung Fu Panda 3' is comprised of a star-studded voice cast that includes Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Bryan Cranston, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Rebel Wilson and J.K. Simmons.

Jennifer Shuh, who directed "Kung Fu Panda 2', has taken on directorial duties once again and is joined by co-director Alessandro Carloni. "Kung Fu Panda' screenwriting duo Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger also penned the script.

In the first official trailer, Po and Li (Cranston) exchanges polite responses.

"You lost your son?" Po asks. "Yes, many years ago," Li answers back.

"I lost my father," Po says.

After saying goodbye to each other, a group of onlookers reacts and makes the face-palm in disbelief.

Although the furry panda was not quick enough at first, he eventually found himself reuniting with his father, meeting more pandas and fighting off Kai.

"I've played a variety of badasses in my career. I do like to mix it up. I like being a character actor playing different kinds of guys. Or, now, different kinds of beasts," Simmons said about taking on different onscreen roles.

Jolie returns as Tigress while Chan's Monkey and Hoffman's Shifu also join Po as his kung fu colleagues; fans can get a glimpse of these characters during the start of the trailer.

Making its debut in 2008, the first ever "Kung Fu Panda' had been a commercial success and a strong competitor at the box office, pulling in more than $630 million from cinemas worldwide.

Its sequel, which made its premiere in 2011, achieved higher numbers as it made a total gross of over $665 million at the global box office.

"Kung Fu Panda 3' is set to hit cinemas in January 29, 2016. Its first trailer can be viewed below.