The Lego Batman Movie 2 is now unlikely to happen due to the film rights to the LEGO film franchise. The LEGO Batman Movie opened in theaters in February 2017 and was a hit at the box office and with audiences and critics alike. The film was a spin-off and follow-up to the highly successful The LEGO Movie and seemed to be the beginning of the next big Warner Bros. franchise alongside the DCEU, Wizarding World films, and the MonsterVerse.
However, after the disappointing box-office returns of both The LEGO Ninjago Movie and The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, Warner Bros. opted not to renew the film rights to The LEGO franchise. Instead, in 2020, Universal Pictures signed a five-year exclusive deal with LEGO to create a new film franchise. So now, instead of Warner Pros. properties, LEGO movies can now use the vast catalog of Universal Pictures franchises for cameos like The Fast and the Furious, Jurassic Park, Minions, and many more.
In a recent interview with Collider, The LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay spoke about how the deal with Universal Pictures now means that a sequel to The LEGO Batman Movie is unlikely. Batman is one of the key franchises of the newly formed Warner Bros. Discovery. It is doubtful the studio would allow Universal Studios to create a sequel with the popular superhero. McKay is sorry that the project is no longer moving forward. McKay stated:
"Because LEGO has left Warner Brothers and is now over at Universal, there probably won't be a LEGO Batman sequel, unfortunately. I am so sorry to say that but I don't think they'll be making a LEGO Batman 2."
McKay was working on The LEGO Batman Movie 2 back in 2018, two years before Universal Pictures signed the deal with LEGO. McKay has spoken about his ideas for the second film, which would have featured more characters from the Justice League and featured Lex Luthor as the primary villain with more potential crossovers given the nature of the LEGO property. However, the entire LEGO franchise is in a state of limbo as Universal Pictures currently has no director or writer signed on for a LEGO film, and no release date has been set.
While McKay may be done with the LEGO franchise, that doesn't mean he is done with Batman or the world of the DC superheroes. McKay has been attached to direct a movie about Batman sidekick Dick Grayson aka Nightwing, since 2017, shortly after The LEGO Batman Movie release. McKay has stated the film could still fit into DC's plans for a cinematic multiverse, meaning there is a certain level of flexibility on the part of the studio. He could also return to The LEGO franchise after the five-year deal with Universal is up. It may not happen soon, but that does not mean the door is closed on the idea forever. LEGO could return to Warner Bros., and The LEGO Batman Movie 2 will see the light of day.
Source: Collider