An exciting roster of directors have signed on to direct three new LEGO films. The LEGO movie-verse went on an unwanted hiatus for several years after 2019’s whimsical The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. 2024 saw another animated LEGO movie, but in an unusual way: Piece by piecea biopic about musician extraordinaire Pharrell Williams. The LEGO Movie and its sequel and companion films are among the best-loved animated films of this generation, leaving audiences wanting more LEGO content.
LEGO fans’ fears could soon be assuaged as Deadline announces the production of three new films based on LEGO. Still untitled, these films would be shot in live-action. The projects’ directors include Jake Kasdan, Patty Jenkins and Joe Cornish. Kasdan’s script will be written by Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul based on an idea by Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows. Jenkins co-wrote the LEGO Movie script with DC Entertainment president Geoff Johns. Cornish will edit a script originally developed by Heather Anne Campbell, which in turn is based on a treatment by Simon Rich.
What this means for the LEGO franchise
Live-Action is new territory for LEGO
None of these newly announced LEGO movies have associated plots yet. All three films will be produced by Jill Wilfert and Ryan Christians. The individual films also have additional producers, including director Jenkins producing her own film. All three LEGO directors have notable filmmaking experience, with Jenkins making Wonder WomanCornwall behind Attack the blockand Kasdan leading the recent Jumanji films.
The live-action format will mark a new frontier for LEGO. To date, theatrical and direct-to-video LEGO-based films have been in animated format. This inherently makes more sense for LEGO, given the non-anthropoid blocking of the original toy figures. The existing Lego Movie and LEGO Movie 2: The second part used the device of construction (and destruction) as the main visual motif, so it will be interesting to see how these LEGO movies create their own world in live action.
Our opinion on these LEGO movies
Live action is a huge risk
As an enthusiastic fan of The LEGO Movie and its successors, I’m excited that the studio is still dabbling in more LEGO content. I am, however, skeptical about how the franchise will adapt to the live-action format. This year’s highly criticized Minecraft Movie The trailer is a good example of what can go wrong when a highly stylized universe is forced into live action. Those LEGO films should try to avoid that fate, and with three experienced directors at the wheel, we hope they can do so.
Source: Deadline