LEGO breaks with Warner and signs with Universal
In a press release dated 2 days ago, LEGO announces it has signed a " five-year exclusive agreement with the LEGO Group to develop, produce and distribute theatrical releases based on its intellectual property and original ideas."
It appears this means the end for Emmet and Wyldstyle (at least for now) as no existing characters will be carried over into the new agreement.
Here's LEGO's full statement:
UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND THE LEGO GROUP ANNOUNCE FIVE-YEAR EXCLUSIVE FILM PARTNERSHIP
UNIVERSAL CITY, CA—April 23, 2020— Universal Pictures today announced that the studio has entered into a five-year exclusive agreement with the LEGO Group to develop, produce and distribute theatrical releases based on its intellectual property and original ideas. The announcement was made by Donna Langley, Chairman, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, and Jill Wilfert, Head of Entertainment, the LEGO Group.
Capitalizing on its timeless brand, the LEGO Group's expansion into content creation with titles including The LEGO Movie, The LEGO Batman Movie, The LEGO Ninjago Movie and The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, has grossed nearly $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office. Universal and the LEGO Group have previously collaborated on the television special, Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit and the 13-episode mini-series LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar.
"The LEGO System in Play gives people the ability to build worlds and create stories that they carry throughout every phase of their lives," said Langley. "To partner with such an iconic brand that remains relevant and is constantly evolving allows for creativity in storytelling. We're thrilled to start building out the next chapter of LEGO movies together with Jill and the LEGO team as they continue to inspire curiosity and innovation."
"Universal's commitment to unique storytelling from diverse voices makes the Studio the perfect partner as the LEGO Group enters this new phase of filmmaking," said Wilfert. "Donna and the entire Universal team bring a sense of wonder and imagination we share, and we can't wait to execute on our shared vision."
Wilfert will serve as producer on all LEGO projects developed and released by Universal. Rideback's Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich will produce alongside Wilfert on the next LEGO-inspired feature. Lin produced all previous LEGO features.
The LEGO Group was represented in the deal by Ken Kleinberg and Jill Smith from Kleinberg, Lange, Cuddy and Carlo.
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