TheLEGO Movieuniverse is getting some fresh blood. After the success ofPhil LordandChris Miller’s 2014 film, Warner Bros. began developing not only a sequel but also a series of spinoffs.The LEGO Batman Moviewas the first out of the gate earlier this year,The LEGO Ninjago Moviehits theaters later this year, andThe LEGO Movie Sequelis deep in development. But in 2015 Warner Bros. announced another spinoff calledThe Billion Brick Race, withJason SegelandDrew Pearce(Iron Man 3) writing and co-directing the featured based on an idea from Pearce.
We’d heard precious little aboutThe Billion Brick Racein the ensuing years, and indeed nowTHRreports that Segel and Pearce are no longer involved andJorge Gutierrez, the director behind the charming animated filmThe Book of Life, is now onboard to develop and direct. Plot details are still under wraps, and the focus on the word “develop” seems to suggest that either Segel and Pearce didn’t get very far in their development of the project or Warner Bros. is starting fresh.
Back in 2013, Warner Bros. Animationplanned to produce one “high-end” animated film a year, forming a coalition of primarily live-action directors like Lord, Miller,Nicholas Stoller(Neighbors),John RequaandGlen Ficarra(Crazy, Stupid, Love.), andJared Stern(Mr. Popper’s Penguins) to develop and direct the animated films. The only movies to actually come out of this group wereThe LEGO Movieand the underratedStorks, directed by Stoller, and this director change onThe Billion Brick Raceseems to suggest that filmmaker coalition may no longer exist.
There’s going to be a two-year gap betweenThe LEGO Ninjago MovieandThe LEGO Movie Sequel, and Warner Bros. no doubt now wants to shore up its slate ofLEGOMoviesequels and spinoffs. ALEGO Batman Moviesequel seems an obvious bet, but it sounds likeThe Billion Brick Racemay very well turn out to be one of the next films on the horizon.
