While franchises have always been a popular draw for Hollywood studios, the success of superhero films and shared universes have made them the go-to model for blockbuster filmmaking. While comics and Star Wars may seem like obvious properties to build a series around, another subgenre has begun emerging: movies based on toys. Though the G.I. Joe franchise never really took off, Transformers is going strong, with a new entry in The Last Knight just on the horizon. From there, they'll be spinning out side stories and trying to craft a shared continuity. Meanwhile, LEGO has emerged as a surprise entry into the burgeoning field of blockbuster toy movies.
After finding years of success and renewed relevance with their various branded video games, critics and audiences alike were taken aback by just how good The LEGO Movie was when it debuted in 2014. The film made Phil Lord and Chris Miller Hollywood's 'it' writing and directing duo, and began plans for a series of films based on the tiny toys. Proving that the success of the first film was far from a fluke, The LEGO Batman Movie has been doing exceedingly well at the box office over the past few weeks. Later this year, LEGO Ninjago will try its luck. Most eyes, however, are on The LEGO Movie Sequel due out in 2019.
Chris McKay, the director of LEGO Batman and an editor and animation producer on the first LEGO Movie was on the most recent episode of the Shanlian on Batman podcast (h/t Heroic Hollywood) where he discussed the status of the sequel and how it will change up its formula.
“LEGO 2 is going to be this big musical and space action movie. They need a lot of the writing, a lot of development, not only with script development, but development with songwriters. So it was very ambitious to get that movie out.”
Given how adored the "Everything is Awesome" song from the first film is, it's no surprise that the producers and writers of the movie would want to expand on its success. And over the years, everything from Disney's Frozen to the recent La La Land have proven that audiences are still hungry for musicals. Add in the boom in science fiction films with movies like Arrival, Guardians of the Galaxy, Rogue One, and The Martian, and moving some of the action to space makes sense as well.
There's no word yet on whether McKay will be involved with the new movie, but he'll likely be pretty busy. It was recently announced that he'd be helming a live-action take on Nightwing, the alter-ego of Batman's former sidekick Dick Grayson. While it's hard to take the announcement of a DC movie with anything but a grain of salt considering how massive their unproduced slate is, McKay certainly seems invested in the character. While we wait to hear more, stay tuned for any and all news involving The Lego Movie Sequel.
Next: LEGO Batman Movie Will Impact LEGO Movie 2
Source: Shanlian on Batman
