Universal Takes Over LEGO Franchise From Warner Bros.

Following the expiration of their deal with Warner Bros., the LEGO Group has officially closed a deal with Universal to develop new movies based on the property. The mega-popular plastic construction toyline (which has been around since 1949) finally made the jump to the big screen with 2014’s animated The LEGO Movie. Directed by 21 Jump Street duo and Into the Spider-Verse producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the film was an unexpected smash-hit, grossing $468 million worldwide and earning critical praise for combining non-stop LEGO visual gags and pop culture references with a touching story and themes about the importance of creativity.

In the years since then, Warner Bros. has released both a pair of spinoffs (centered around LEGO Batman and the Ninjago toyline) and a direct followup to The LEGO Movie, but with decidedly mixed results in terms of their critical and commercial reception. Finally, after The LEGO Movie 2 failed to gross even half of what its predecessor did, the studio elected to allow its deal with the LEGO Group to expire last fall. Of course, The LEGO Movie franchise had already grossed north of $1 billion by that point, so it didn’t take long for other studios to enter talks with LEGO about making new films.

The LEGO Group has now closed a five-year deal with Universal to produce additional films based on the IP for theatrical release. Universal Chairman Donna Langley has also issued an official statement about the deal, which you can read below:

The LEGO System in Play gives people the ability to build worlds and create stories that they carry throughout every phase of their lives. 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 [LEGO Group head Jill Wilfer] and the LEGO team as they continue to inspire curiosity and innovation.

Although this new slate of LEGO films won’t be able to draw from the various WB properties featured in The LEGO Movie series (DC superheroes, Harry Potter, Godzilla, etc.), it will be able to incorporate IP owned by Universal, including their classic monsters and mega-popular brands like Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. In fact, the worlds of LEGO and the Jurassic movies have already crossed over before via the animated Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit TV special, in addition to the miniseries LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar. One imagines Universal may even want to do some kind of crossover between the LEGO brand and Fast & Furious, having recently expanded the latter into more kid-friendly territory with the animated Fast & Furious Spy Racers series on Netflix.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Universal’s LEGO movies fare in comparison to WB’s. Both The LEGO Movie 1 & 2 and LEGO Batman Movie were well-received and praised for the way they blend thoughtful storytelling with self-aware humor, but The LEGO Ninjago Movie is generally regarded as more of a generic kids movie – one which probably contributed to audience’s franchise fatigue by the time The LEGO Movie 2 came out (as evidenced by the film’s drop-off at the box office). All the same, there’s potential for more imaginative takes on the brand, and a change in studio might just be the kick in the pants the property needs to get its commercial mojo back. That and/or LEGO Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez driving cars really, really fast.