Back in June, we broke a major news story that unveiled a wealth of new details about The LEGO Ninjago Movie, the third film in Warner Animation Groups LCU (LEGO Cinematic Universe) franchise
Now, in yet another late-breaking story (expect a few more of those), we have the official details on the (actual) plot synopsis, who’s staring in the movie, and who’s actually writing the script (via a press release sent to Deadline).
First, here’s the official plot synopsis for the film, which places more emphasis on a surprising connection between two characters and outwardly reveals the film’s connection to the larger LCU:
“In this big-screen Ninjago adventure, the battle for Ninjago City calls to action young Lloyd, aka the Green Ninja, along with his friends, who are all secret warriors and LEGO Master Builders. Led by kung fu 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. Pitting mech against mech and father against son, the epic showdown will test this fierce but undisciplined team of modern-day ninjas who must learn to check their egos and pull together to unleash their true power.”
As revealed in our previous report, Dave Franco (Lloyd) leads a voice cast that includes Fred Armisen (Cole), Abbi Jacobson (Nya), Jumail Nanjiani (Jay), Michael Pena (Kai), Zach Woods (Zane), and Jackie Chan as Master Wu. New to the cast is Justin Theroux as Garmadon and Olivia Munn as Lloyd’s mom, Koko.
Jill Wilfert, an executive producer on the film and Vice President of Licensing and Entertainment for LEGO Group, stated, “We are thrilled with the star-studded voice cast slated for ‘The LEGO Ninjago Movie.’ Our fans know and love Ninjago characters for their personalities and skills, so it’s only fitting that we assemble a diverse and talented cast to bring the world of Ninjago to life on the big screen.”
The previous report also told readers that the script was being written by Kevin and Dan Hagemen (Ninjago: Masters of Spinjutsu) and Brian Shukoff and Kevin Chesley (MTV’s The Hard Times of Rj Berger). Now, we come corrected.
According to the press release, the screenplay will instead be penned by Tom Wheeler (Puss in Boots) and Bill Wheeler (Queen of Katwe, Showtime’s Ray Donovan). The Wheelers are rewriting a previous draft by Hilary Winston (NBC’s My Name is Earl and Community), Bob Logan (1986 Dennis the Menace series), and Paul Fisher. The script is based on a story conceived by Kevin and Dan Hageman, along with Winston, Logan, and Fisher.
As always, the film marks the directorial debut of Charlie Bean (Tron: Uprising). LEGO Movie architects Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Phil Lord and Chris Miller will produce. Chris McKay and Seth Grahame Smith will serve as executive producers alongside Jill Wilfert and Keith Malone.
One final thing to close this out: while it would seem that The LEGO Ninjago Movie is making its LCU connections more apparent (read: the ninjas being Master Builders), The LEGO Batman Movie isn’t without its share of references to Ninjago itself. Eagle-eyed viewers of the latest trailer will notice that, in one brief scene, Batman is wielding a pair of Jade Blades (wonder where he got those?). Another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment is a flashing billboard in Gotham with the words ‘Ninjagotown’. This references are easy to miss, but they go a long way to establishing the LCU as a legit shared universe.
The LEGO Ninjago Movie hits theaters on September 22, 2017.
What do you think? Does this new info make you more excited for the movie?
