It seems no matter where you turn, you'll find someone singing The LEGO Movie's praises, be it for the film's parade of witty pop cultural jokes, clever mixture of 3D and stop-motion animation, or for it beating Justice League by becoming the first theatrical release to feature Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Flash in the same film - and with a worldwide gross over $200 million (and counting) after just two weeks of release, you'd best believe that Warner Bros. has taken notice of all the fuss.

Warner studio heads wasted no time on getting a LEGO Movie sequel moving down the production pipeline early, having caught wind of the sheer amount of anticipation for the feature before it opened theatrically. It remains to be seen just when a Ninjango movie adaptation - based on the ninja-themed LEGO toy spinoff property - will hit theaters, but at least we now know when to expect Emmet's (Chris Pratt's) next adventure on the big screen.

The currently-untitled LEGO Movie sequel is scheduled to hit theaters on May 26th, 2017, meaning it'll be among the heavyweight that compete in that year's summer box office brawl. Three years is undoubtedly a longer wait than many people would like, but the film's animation demands more time for pre-viz work and processing; it's for similar reasons that the only movies announced for a 2017 arrival this early in the game are non-live-action features, such as Universal and Illumination Entertainment's Despicable Me 3 and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Plot details for the LEGO Movie sequel are under lock and key right now, though the initial script draft is reportedly being being handled by Jared Stern and Michelle Morgan. Stern previously worked on the screenplays for some of Disney's recent computer-animated features (Bolt, Wreck-It Ralph) as well as the Mouse House's 2D animated Princess and the Frog, while Morgan is new to the world of writing for animated film.

LEGO movie LEGO town set

Having said that, Stern seems like a less impressive choice to pen the LEGO Movie sequel, when you take his previous live-action script work into consideration (see: Mr. Popper's Penguins, The Internship). Similarly, Morgan's past indie feature writing credits included the critically-derided Kristen Wiig comedy Girl Most Likely, as well as the lesser-known Susan Sarandon dramedy Middle of Nowhere.

Of course the announcement that many people are expecting/waiting for is the news that LEGO Movie writers/directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller will be back for the sequel; their ability to remain creative while working in the Hollywood studio system was key to the first installment's success, so their involvement with the LEGO sequel feels all the more essential - especially, if the project is to clear the high bar set by its predecessor. Failing their return, here's to hoping that a worthy replacement is found for the directing duo.

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The LEGO Movie is now playing in theaters; the sequel will arrive on May 26th, 2017.

Source: Warner Bros.