Everything we know about the canceled Lego movie
The Lego franchise has proven to be quite successful on the big screen, at least early in its cinematic run. While four different films have been released in the franchise so far, the future of Lego adaptations is certainly on hold right now.
One of the films in development by the Lego Group and Warner Bros. was The race for a billion bricks, a film that never saw the light of day. The public does not know too much about this once brilliant and successful project. As Lego’s on-screen fate continues to change, with TV shows and Disney + vacation specials, it’s important to look back on what could have been but never was.
ten The third spin-off
Originally, this film was actually the third spin-off of the original. Lego movie. The first film in the franchise showed that there was an audience for this type of project and that it is still considered one of the best animated films of recent years, using whole new techniques to help tell this unique story.
The film’s success catapulted Batman’s Lego iteration to stardom, creating the spin-off The Lego Batman movie. The franchise then moved on to its original properties such as Ninjago. The race for a billion bricks wouldn’t feature any of the characters from the other films, but instead functioned as a standalone spin-off.
9 A racing film
As the name suggests, the film was meant to be a racing image, based on classic films in the genre. Writer Drew Pearce actually named one of the properties that inspired the film, along with Cannonball race serving as a starting point for the creative team.
Of course, the premise of a movie like this would certainly have attracted big name stars and would have been a great way for the writers to include some of their memorable meta jokes; the kind of humor that had worked so well in previous Lego movies.
8 An original property
Unlike all the other spin-offs in this brick world, The race for a billion bricks would have been a whole new property to add to the Lego brand. Batman is of course a character that Warner Bros. already owned and the world of Ninjago is an original IP created by the Lego company.
The race for a billion bricks would therefore have been a little closer to that of the original Lego movie. This would have brought in new characters and created a universe that had never been seen in comics, TV shows, movies, or even Lego sets before.
7 A writing / production team has been set up
Jason Segel has taken on many memorable roles over the years and also put his talents behind the camera. The film had been in development for a little while, with Jason Segel on board directing and writing the picture.
The project, however, needed a co-director and a screenwriter to support Segel throughout the process. Well-known writer Drew Pearce joined him, bringing with him his rich experience and knowledge. He’s already written hits like Marvel’s Iron man 3 and directed Hotel Artemis.
6 Replacement was needed
There were some behind-the-scenes complications that meant the film’s development was heading into choppy waters. Pearce left the project, leaving the door open for someone who was familiar with the world of animation. Jorge R. Gutierrez entered the scene as a replacement.
Gutierrez had already had success at the head of The book of life, a unique and famous film about Mexican Day of the Dead. However, the famous director would not be a part of the project for very long and announced that he was leaving the film in 2018 after 9 months of work.
5 A release date has been set
Lego and Warner Bros. wanted to consolidate their legacy on the big screen. The second characteristic of the Lego Movie The franchise was due out in 2019, and the company had to replicate what other studios were doing with their own release schedules.
Disney had started releasing multiple films a year from each of their studios, with figures like Marvel and Lucasfilm following that path. The release date of The race for a billion bricks was therefore also set for 2019; in May, just a few months after the release of The Lego movie 2.
4 Primitive concept art came out
Director Jorge R. Gutierrez took to Twitter to remember his time on the project. He released the first artistic concepts that had been produced for the film, showing how much he had really progressed. The drawings also gave a clue to what might have been.
The characters were certainly a diverse set of action figures, who seemed influenced both by the previous racing films as well as the ’80s and’ 90s. There were a few standout designs, though it’s hard to say who must have been the one. protagonist of the feature film, or if it would be a set.
3 Counter issues
The first two Lego films were huge successes for Warner Bros. in terms of the box office. Both the original and the Batman spin-off intrigued audiences and achieved critical enough success to grab the attention of casual fans and hardcore buns.
the Ninjago film and the second installment of the Lego Movie both failed to reach impressive box office figures. The decrease in attention in the cinema meant that any hope of prosecution for The race for a billion bricks was almost lost.
2 Officially canceled
At the time of writing this article, The race for a billion bricks has been officially canceled. Despite the love of the filmmakers surrounding the project, as well as the interest of the Lego community, Warner Bros. eventually had to unplug.
This is not a rare event in Hollywood, especially in the world of animation. It’s easier to end a project that hasn’t already shot some of its scenes. It was a reminder, however, that even some of the world’s biggest brands were not immune to a misstep.
1 Hope for the future?
In 2020, it was announced that Warner Bros. would no longer be the birthplace of the Lego franchise and would instead be taken over by Universal Pictures. It was huge news for the brand and a new start for its properties.
New films are in the works at Universal, which is refocusing its efforts on its animation division, which has already produced successes in the past. There may still be hope for The race for a billion bricks so if Universal decides they want to brush off the dust from this forgotten production.
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