After The Lego Movie became both a critical and commercial hit, Warner Bros headed frantically forward into a new franchise filled with easily merchandisable opportunities.
The first of these spin-offs, The Lego Batman Movie, hits cinemas this weekend and it’s accompanied by a first look at the next chapter: The Lego Ninjago Movie.
Based on the ninja-themed set of toys, the film follows the story of Master Builder Lloyd who has a secret life as a ninja. He’s forced to take on his evil dad Garmadon as he battles to save the city of Ninjago.
The trailer suggests another combination of slick animation and surprisingly irreverent humor, a mixture that helped both The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie score with critics. The latter has received rave reviews this week with the Guardian’s Steve Rose calling it “relentlessly, consistently funny”.
The voice cast is headed up by Dave Franco, last seen in magician sequel Now You See Me 2, with support from Justin Theroux, Olivia Munn, Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson and Jackie Chan.
After it hits cinemas in September, we can also expect The Lego Movie Sequel in 2019 as well as another spin-off entitled The Billion Brick Race.
The Lego Movie made $469m worldwide while analysts are expecting The Lego Batman Movie to open with $60m this weekend.
