After the runaway success of The Lego Movie back in February, Warner Bros. announced that not only a sequel to that film was in the works, but a film based on Lego Ninjago was also coming.
The Lego Ninjago line and television show were launched in 2011, and the show itself is still going strong. The show’s writers, Dan and Kevin Hageman, helped write the story for The Lego Movie and were set to pen this film’s script. Apparently that is not so anymore, according to a new announcement and press release.
Today, Screen Rant revealed that the brothers are being replaced by Bryan Shukoff and Kevin Chesley. The duo’s resume mostly consists of television shows and an animated short film called Rolling with Dad, which was shown on Adult Swim’s website last year but was never aired on television. Why they replaced the Ninjago writers, who knows. The director of the film is Charlie Bean, who directed TRON: Uprising.
The announcement also revealed a release date for this film: September 23, 2016. A currently-untitled Sony Pictures Animation project is set to open the same day, they secured that date last summer. That all being said, a Lego Ninjago film could go either way.
WB’s domestic distribution president Dan Fellman indicated that the film won’t be just for the kids who watch the show and collect the Ninjago sets. Maybe it’ll be just like The Lego Movie and it’ll appeal to everyone: “Following the huge success of The Lego Movie, we are very excited to build on the Lego franchise. We know there are already Ninjago collectors who can’t wait to see their favorite characters on the big screen. This promises to be a terrifically fun and thrilling entry into our Fall 2016 slate, with broad audience appeal.”
Sounds like the intention is to appeal to all ages, rather than just kids. A smart move, maybe the film could surprise us and be a sizable hit for the growing Warner Animation Group.
