The Lego Movie is currently the highest grossing movie of 2014. After opening on February 7, it has grossed approximately $452.4 million worldwide, with about half of that being earned domestically. With that kind of success, is there any wonder that Warner Bros. would be excited at the prospect of sequels and spinoffs?
There will be a sequel to The Lego Movie coming out on May 26, 2017. Chris McKay , who was the animation supervisor on The Lego Movie , is set to direct The Lego Movie 2 . It will be a direct sequel that stems from the storyline of the first one.
However, the sequel will not be the very next movie in the Lego brand’s cinema universe .
Before viewers get to see what’s going on with Emmet after the events in The Lego Movie , they’ll be introduced to a ninja-themed 3D spinoff.
Warner Bros. announced on Tuesday that the next movie to be released bearing the Lego brand, Ninjago, should hit theaters September 23, 2016; over half a year before the sequel. Set to make his feature-length directorial debut will be Charlie Bean, best known for having directed several episodes of the animated TV series TRON: Uprising .
The Hageman brothers (Dan and Kevin) will be returning to pen the script for Ninjago . They also have credits for writing the animated TV show, Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu .
Warner Bros. domestic distribution president, Dan Fellman, was quoted by Deadline: “Following the huge success of The Lego Movie, we are very excited to build on the Lego franchise. We know there are already Ninjago collectors who can’t wait to see their favorite characters on the big screen. This promises to be a terrifically fun and thrilling entry into our fall 2016 slate, with broad audience appeal.”
The Ninjago movie follows the ninja-themed figures from the Lego franchise as they battle against Lord Gagmadon. Viewers will be introduced to the Skeleton Army, the Stone Army, the Serpentine, the Nindroids, dragons, and snake men, according to Variety .
On Twitter, fans and respected nerd sources reacted to the news.
Everything is awesome! Warner Bros. just announced the 2016 release date for the other #LEGO Movie, NINJAGO. http://t.co/JvHtb37Ki2 by…
— Nerdist.com (@NerdistDotCom) May 22, 2014
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, it’s really happening!!!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!!! http://t.co/H1TIeFi3Sz
— Lance Reno (@agent_crystalis) May 21, 2014
#Ninjago , everything is stealthily awesome! http://t.co/Th9uMNXRoO
— Shaf (@shafism) May 21, 2014
The original Lego movie will be out on video in June. It can be purchased from Comcast electronically, as part of a promotion , before it’s available on DVD or Blu-ray. It will cost $10 for high-definition and $8 for standard-definition. It is already available to stream to your computer, phone, or television through Amazon.com.
[ Image courtesy of alphacoders ]