It’s a course change ahead for the LEGO movies, as Warner Bros’ deal ends, and Universal steps in instead.
Further to reports at the end of December (see below), the rights to make LEGO movies have indeed changed studios, as had been suggested. Universal is now the custodian of the LEGO movie franchise, albeit bringing across producer Dan Lin, who was pivotal in bringing the previous films to life at Warner Bros. He’ll be joined by Jonathan Eirich and Jill Wilfert on producing duties for the next raft of films.
Universal chair Donna Langley has released a welcoming statement, saying ““The LEGO System in Play gives people the ability to build worlds and create stories that they carry throughout every phase of their lives. To partner with such an iconic brand that remains relevant and is constantly evolving allows for creativity in storytelling. We’re thrilled to start building out the next chapter of LEGO movies together with Jill and the Lego team as they continue to inspire curiosity and innovation”.
No idea as of yet as to what the next movies will be. But there will definitely be some.
Here’s our report from last December…
After the huge success of the original The LEGO Movie, Warner Bros hasn’t quite managed to catch lightning in a bottle twice. The LEGO Batman Movie came close, albeit falling short of the original film’s box office. But both The LEGO Ninjago Movie and The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part struggled both critically and commercially.
The rights to the LEGO films require that the studio have a new film in development within a certain amount of time, and it now looks as though Warner Bros is set to let those rights lapse. Instead, it now looks as though Universal is set to take the franchise over.
Universal reportedly is looking at possible live action hybrid films as well as films related to its own library of existing movies. The Jurassic World series stands out as a possible candidate.
The deal hasn’t been inked yet, but it seems likely. More news as we get it.
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