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. The LEGO Batman Movie release date: Feb 10, 2017The LEGO Ninjago Movie release date: Sep 22, 2017The LEGO Movie 2/LEGO Movie Sequel release date: Feb 8, 2019Following the jam-packed character poster for the movie released last week, Warner Bros. Pictures has debuted a new The LEGO Batman Movie IMAX poster featuring the dark knight himself along with Robin the boy wonder and Batgirl!
Check it out below.RELATED: Turbines to Speed: New LEGO Batman Movie Trailer is Here!Will Arnett reprises his role of Batman from The LEGO Movie as the voice of the titular Dark Knight, alongside Michael Cera as Robin the boy wonder, Rosario Dawson as Batgirl, Ralph Fiennes as Alfred Pennyworth, Mariah Carey as Gotham’s mayor and Zach Galifianakis as The Joker.In the irreverent spirit of fun that made The LEGO Movie a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble – LEGO Batman – stars in his own big-screen adventure: The LEGO Batman Movie. But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from The Joker’s hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.RELATED: The LEGO Batman Movie Minifigures Dig Deep Into the Rogues GalleryChris McKay is directing The LEGO Batman Movie from a script by Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter creator Seth Grahame-Smith.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who directed The LEGO Movie, are producing the film along with Dan Lin.The LEGO Batman Movie will open in theaters on February 10, 2017. The LEGO cinematic universe will then expand again later in 2017 with the release of The LEGO Ninjago Movie. Catch it on the big screen September 22, 2017.Which of these LEGO Batman Movie characters has your favorite minifig design? Let us know in the comments below!New The LEGO Batman Movie poster arrivesIn honor of Batman Day, Warner Bros. Pictures has released a new The LEGO Batman Movie poster, featuring the titular hero and a new tagline for The LEGO Movie spin-off. Check it out in the gallery below.Chris McKay is directing The LEGO Batman Movie from a script by Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter creator Seth Grahame-Smith (who will direct The Flash for Warner Bros. Pictures). Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who directed The LEGO Movie, are producing the film along with Dan Lin.The LEGO Batman Movie will open in theaters on February 10, 2017.
The Lego Batman 11.5" X 17" 150 Available Character Movie Poster New 2017 KidsOfficial THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE Trailer Is HERE! (Plus A New Poster!) Yesterday, we shared with you a 25-second "trailer tease" for The LEGO Ninjago Movie, and today I get to share with you the whole enchilada!The LEGO Ninjago Movie is set to come out later this year as the second of two The LEGO Movie spinoffs (with The LEGO Batman Movie coming out this Friday), and it looks like they want to capitalize on the brand's popularity by giving you a lot of little colored blocks to stare at right this second.Here's the full, official trailer for The LEGO Ninjago Movie:And they've also released a brand spankin' new poster for the flick:In this big-screen NINJAGO adventure, the battle for NINJAGO City calls to action young Master Builder Lloyd, aka the Green Ninja, along with his friends, who are all secret ninja warriors. Led by Master Wu, as wise-cracking as he is wise, they must defeat evil warlord Garmadon, The Worst Guy Ever, who also happens to be Lloyd’s dad.