Things got off to a great start for Warner Bros. when the studio decided to launch a shared LEGO universe, which was helped exponentially by the creative minds brought on board to initially spearhead the venture.
The LEGO Movie drafted in Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, two of the most talented comic filmmakers around, to craft an irreverent and massively entertaining adventure that drew rave reviews from critics and nabbed $468 million at the box office. After making a scene stealing cameo, Will Arnett’s Caped Crusader got his own spinoff, with many fans labeling The LEGO Batman Movie as one of the character’s finest big screen efforts yet.
Director Chris McKay flew solo following him being heavily involved in Lord and Miller’s opener, although the latter duo remained on board as producers to create a sense of continuity. The LEGO Batman Movie went on to earn $312 million globally on an $80 million budget and wind up with a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes, so it was hardly a shock when a sequel was first announced in late 2018.
However, it failed to gain any sort of momentum, and by April of 2020, WB’s option on the LEGO rights had expired, with Universal swooping in to pick them up. And in a new interview to promote his live-action directorial debut on Amazon’s sci-fi blockbuster The Tomorrow War, McKay explained why it’s more unlikely than ever that The LEGO Batman Movie will get a follow-up outing.
“Because LEGO has left Warner Brothers and is now over at Universal, there probably won’t be a LEGO Batman sequel, unfortunately. I am so sorry to say that but I don’t think they’ll be making a LEGO Batman 2.”
With the notable exception of the Spider-Man deal between Sony and Marvel Studios, rival outfits in Hollywood aren’t keen to play ball and share some of their most popular and marketable assets with each other, which is unfortunately why plans for The LEGO Batman Movie 2 will probably remain permanently shelved.