Mindy Kaling, who starred as Disgust in Inside Out, confirms she will not be returning for Inside Out 2. The original Inside Out focuses on the story of Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust, the central emotions of Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), an 11-year-old hockey player who struggles to keep her emotions in line after a move to California that disrupts her entire emotional state. With Joy trying to keep Sadness from influencing Riley’s emotions, Riley is unable to control herself in school and quickly starts to lose interest in her hobbies and family.
In an interview with The Wrap, Kaling confirmed that, while she enjoyed Inside Out, she will not be in the upcoming sequel, though she did not provide too many details about why. Previous Inside Out 2 reports indicated a contract dispute was at fault. Check out Kaling’s quote below:
“I had a great time working on ‘Inside Out’ and am sure ‘Inside Out 2’ will be great. But I’m not working on it.”
Everything We Know About Inside Out 2
Inside Out 2 was first announced in September at the D23 Expo, with Poehler joyfully announcing that she will be reprising her role. Inside Out director Pete Docter will not be returning for the project, so it will instead be directed by Kelsey Mann (The Good Dinosaur). Unfortunately, Inside Out 2 is happening without two stars; rather than just losing Kaling, Hader will also not be returning to his role as Fear. While the voice actors can be replaced, their characters may be replaced as well, as Riley will be a teenager in Inside Out 2, and many teens tend to ignore fear or disgust where they can in favor of risk-taking and fun.
The original Inside Out ends with the emotions discovering puberty, so it is possible that Inside Out 2 will spend a fair amount of time with the puberty button. While details about the film have been slim, thanks to the fact that it is so early in production, it is likely Riley will be struggling with another transitioning period of her life, which does make it somewhat more palatable that the voices of her emotions will be changing as well. The only confirmed Inside Out 2 story details are Riley’s age and that the film is expected to hit theaters in mid-2024.
Pixar sequels have regularly proven successful, as the studio has a solid track record with Toy Story 2, Finding Dory, and Monster’s University proving to be box office hits that reflected the messages and themes of their original films. Considering that Inside Out won an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe, it’s no surprise that the project has earned a sequel. Still, it also offers the franchise the opportunity to go beyond expectations. With Inside Out focusing almost entirely on Riley’s emotions, there is potential that Inside Out 2 can go beyond Riley by exploring the emotions of her friends and fellow teenagers. Regardless of what it looks like, Kaling will not be there to see the production of Inside Out 2, no matter how successful it proves to be.
More: The Wrap
