Movies shown at CinemaCon usually have a trailer to show off to theater owners. Universal/DreamWorks’ “Kung Fu Panda 4” didn’t have one, so Jack Black took it upon himself to sell the movie on his own.
Alone on a stage with dramatic music, Black grabbed a mic and enthusiastically told the CinemaCon crowd what lies ahead for his famous panda hero Po, who was last seen reuniting with his father in the Valley of Peace.
In “Kung Fu Panda 4,” Po is set to become the new spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace, but before he can do that, he must find a successor to become the new Dragon Warrior. He appears to find one in Zhen, a fox with plenty of promising abilities but who doesn’t quite like the idea of Po training him.
The two eventually learn to get along…but becoming a true master/student team was just the beginning. Along comes The Chameleon, a villain with, as Black describes it, the “totally scary and totally unfair” ability to bring back villains from past “Kung Fu Panda” films like Tai Lung. Desperate to find a way to defeat The Chameleon, Po and Zhen must leave the Valley of Peace and go into the big city for the first time,
Jack Black is riding high right now as arguably the most popular cast member of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which is on the verge of earning $1 billion at the global box office while Black, in the role of Bowser, has climbed up the Billboard Hot 100 with his love song “Peaches.”
“Kung Fu Panda 4” will hit theaters on March 8, 2024.