There was a time whenThe LEGO Moviefranchise seemed like a theatrical mainstay, but that time has passed. Ever sinceThe LEGO Movie 2: The Second Partfailed to break the box office; the franchise has been put on hiatus. While a third film is allegedly in development, it feels like the series as fans knew it is dead. However, that could all change if Traveller’s Tales was handed the keys to theLEGO Moviefranchise.
Traveller’s Tales has been developing LEGO games for years now, and it is showing no signs of stopping. The studio is currently hard at workLEGO-fying popular IPsfor players to enjoy, and theLEGO Movieseems like the perfect franchise for it to play with. It has already made games based on every single film in the franchise, now it should lead the franchise into the future.
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The LEGO Movie Franchise Has Been Put on Hold
No one quite knewwhat to expect fromThe LEGO Moviewhen it was first announced. LEGO may have been one of the largest toy lines in the world, but it had not really made waves in the film industry yet. Its new LEGO-centric film seemed like a risky endeavor, but it paid off extremely well. Moviegoers loved the project, it was met with critical acclaim, and would go on to spawn an entire cinematic franchise. Two spin-offs and a sequel would release over the next couple of years, but its success would quickly come crashing down.
TheLEGO Moviefranchise would see two films release in 2017, but only one of them would be well received by audiences.The LEGO Batman Moviewould bring viewers on a new LEGO journey following the titular caped crusader, and fans seemed to love it. It would quickly become a critical and commercial success. However,The LEGO Ninjago Moviewould not be able to replicate this success, and it was met with mixed reception. It marked the lowest opening for theLEGO Moviefranchise and ended up failing to make a profit.
Warner Bros. hoped to revitalize the franchise withthe long-awaitedThe LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, but it became the second box office disappointment for the series. This would lead to Warner Bros. canceling plans for the third spin-off,The Billion Brick Race,as well as the sequel toThe LEGO Batman Movie. The studio would also end up selling the franchise to Universal Pictures, and the series would be put on hiatus. While a thirdLEGO Movieis apparently in the works, there has been no news on the project.
The LEGO Movies Could Live On Through Traveller’s Tales
It seems likeThe LEGO Moviefranchise is deadfor the time being, and there currently does not seem to be a future for these characters. Even if Universal releasesThe LEGO Movie 3, there is a chance that the characters are not the same ones from the previous two films. The franchise played around with many Warner Bros. owned properties, and Universal is not able to utilize those same franchises. While the franchise may live on, that version of the franchise will likely never return.
Fans of the franchise deserve to see more stories within that world, and it may be up to Traveller’s Tales to pick up the slack. Traveller’s Tales and its fellow TT Games subsidiaries have extensive experience working with those characters as they have made games for every singleLEGO Movieentry. It has shown that it knows how to recreate these stories in its LEGO games style, and it has also delivered numerous original tales within pre-established IPs. All of this experience makes it seem like the perfect place to continue the tale of theLEGO master buildersif the film industry will not.
Universal Pictures currently has theLEGO Moviefranchise rights until 2024, and it is supposedly working on a third film. Hopefully, that film does see the light of day and retains the charm of Warner Bros. franchise, but it is facing some significant barriers. Traveller’s Tales may be the only one suited to continue the story, and it would be great if it got the chance to do that.
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