Universal in talks to take over the LEGO movie franchise

The LEGO Group and Universal are close to completing talks that will see the film studio take over the movie series from Warner Bros.

Several months ago, the agreement between the LEGO Group and Warner Bros. for licensed films expired, with Variety reporting that Universal are in talks to take on the franchise. The deal is, according to the news, almost ready to close.

Producer Dan Lin, who sought out the opportunity to make LEGO movies, is expected to stay on to shepherd the franchise despite having a lucrative deal with Warner Bros.

Variety reported that the deal with see a “much broader use” of the LEGO intellectual property than has been so far in theatrical releases, with potential concepts including Universal films being reimagined in a LEGO style and animation/live action hybrids films.

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The LEGO Movie was a surprise hit in 2014, but subsequent films saw diminishing returns, with The LEGO NINJAGO Movie and The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part losing money for Warner Bros. That latest film, which was released in February, is shortlisted for an Oscar for best original song.

The LEGO Batman Movie 2 was understood to be in early development, but given that Warner Bros. has the Batman licence it is unlikely that the film will see release.

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Author Profile

Graham
Graham was the BrickFanatics.com Editor up until November 2020. He has plenty of experience working on LEGO related projects. He has contributed to various websites and publications on topics including niche hobbies, the toy industry and education.

Follw Graham on Twitter @grahamh100.

Graham

Graham was the BrickFanatics.com Editor up until November 2020. He has plenty of experience working on LEGO related projects. He has contributed to various websites and publications on topics including niche hobbies, the toy industry and education. Follw Graham on Twitter @grahamh100.

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