The Walt Disney Company has bought the upcoming title from LEGO Batman’s writer, John Whittington, after a studio bidding war. In an announcement made by the Hollywood Reporter, Disney beat out Warner Bros. for the rights to the film.
Whittington, who has been apart of several LEGO movies, has not released any official details about the upcoming project. Hollywood Reporter stated that “Details are being kept in the vault but it is known that the high concept story is set in the world of movies…which will be live action and intended for theatrical release.” No timeline has been given for the project.
The Lego Batman movie ended up being a smash hit when it was first released in 2017. Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 90-percent Fresh rating, the film grossed $312 million at the box office against its production budget of $80 million.
The move by Disney is pretty unexpected. The Hollywood Reporter stated that “Disney isn’t known for being in the game for spec projects, as the studio has for the last decade made its priority on branded IP and remakes and sequels to its vast library.”
This move by Disney has many fans wondering if the project will be included in their current arsenal of IP’s within Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Marvel. Seeing as how much of a success this movie was, it may be what motivated Disney to purchase the title.
We are excited to see what this project will entail. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a blend of Star Wars and other Marvel characters in the new movie! We’ll keep you updated as we learn more information.
For the entire Hollywood Reporter article, click here.