The LEGO Movie was one of the top films of 2014, both in box office take and fan reception. The animated action-comedy hit proved that LEGO has the makings of a huge ongoing franchise, with a second film already in pre-production.

The LEGO Movie followup went through a directorial change-up over the past year, and is but one of multiple LEGO movies that are currently in development under Warner Bros.' umbrella. Additional details on The LEGO Movie Sequel (as it's officially titled) should be coming in the foreseeable future, now that the script is closer to being done.

The LEGO Movie Sequel will be penned again by LEGO Movie writer/directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller. A recent tweet from Miller revealed that the pair have now turned in a completed draft of the script:

The directing duties for The LEGO Movie Sequel will go to Rob Schrab (Community), instead of Lord and Miller. Part of the reason for the departure is that the latter duo are taking on the helming duties for the as of yet untitled Star Wars Anthology Han Solo film (also scheduled to arrive in 2018). Lord and Miller will retain their duties on The LEGO Movie Sequel as producers, though.

The LEGO Movie Sequel is going to shake things up by introducing new characters to the fold, in addition to having more fun cameos. For example, the idea of an appearance by The Doctor from Doctor Who in the film has even been hinted at by Scarab - as long as he can get the okay from the BBC, that is.

Lord and Miller has also made it clear that they intend on broadening the types of characters that they write into the sequel, including more female characters. The wide appeal of The LEGO Movie certainly included a demographic of boys and girls, so a more balanced representation only makes sense.

Last year Chris Miller told the BBC:

“You can feel that the whole movie culture is now starting to wake up to the fact that half the audience are women. ‘Frozen’ is reflective of that – and I think we are all going to find a great flourishing of women film makers and subject matter in the future.”

The LEGO Movie Sequel, as mentioned before, is only one of many LEGO brickverse films that has been announced for release over the next few years. Fans have seen direct-to-video Batman LEGO films and Cartoon Network series like Ninjago, but now these franchises will see their own standalone theatrical versions, as follows:

• LEGO Batman, which is in the hands of director Chris McKay (Robot Chicken) and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter).
• Ninjago, from director Charlie Bean (Tron: Uprising) and writers Dan and Kevin Hageman (the Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu TV series).

Based on the credentials of those involved with the LEGO Movie sequels and spinoffs, these films could well keep the same great mixture of action and humor that already allows the LEGO franchise to appeal to all ages.

NEXT: LEGO Batman Voice Cast Update

LEGO Batman opens in U.S. theaters on February 10th, 2017, followed by Ninjago on September 22nd, 2017, The LEGO Movie Sequel on May 18th, 2018, and (most likely) Billion Brick Race on May 24th, 2019.

Source: Chris Miller