The Lego Batman Movie, released in 2017, was a spin-off of the critically acclaimed and box office smash hitThe Lego Movie, which was released in 2014. The movie was a comedic take on the caped crusader with Batman (Will Arnett) being forced to open himself up to theidea of a Bat familyafter adopting Dick Grayson/Robin (Michael Cera), and Gotham City is threatened by a bitter and jealous Joker (Zach Galifianakis) as Batman refuses to recognize him as his arch enemy.
Arriving just one year after the critically pannedBatman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,The Lego Batman Moviewas a win for movies based on DC Comics characters and a fun movie that poked fun at the character’s recent cinematic outings being so dark.
lego batman
In the irreverent spirit of fun that made “The Lego Movie” a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble—Lego Batman—stars in his own big-screen adventure. But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from The Joker’s hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.
The movie was also a box office smash hit. It opened to number one at the box office with $53 million, beating out bothJohn Wick - Chapter 2andFifty Shades Darker. It held the number one spot for the second week of release and closed out its box office run with $175 million domestic and $312 million worldwide against an $80 million budget.
Great reviews and box office would suggest a sequel would be made, yet not only did one not materialize, but now it can’t happen due to thefilm rights regarding the Lego property. Here is whyTheLego Batman Movienever got a sequel and what might have been.
The Lego Movie Franchise Burned Out Quickly
The idea of a movie based around the Lego toyline seemed laughable, but much to everyone’s surprise, 2014’sThe Lego Moviefrom directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller became both a box office hit, with $257 million domestic and $470 million worldwide.
It also received incredibly positive reviews from critics, praising the clever self-aware script that also captured the feeling of playing with legos, so much that many were shocked when the movie failed to land a nomination for Best Animated Film at the Academy Awards.
YetWarner Bros. had faith in the Lego franchiseand saw it, along with the DCEU, MonsterVerse, and Wizarding World, as their big-ticket film series.The Lego Batman Moviecontinued this trend, and while it performed less thanThe Lego Movie, it still did very well, suggesting the spin-off films would be a hit with the main Lego films being box office guarantees.
Yet later, in 2017, TheLegofranchise would suffer a hit asThe Lego Ninjago Movie, which opened six months afterThe Lego Batman Movie, grossed only $59 million domestically and $123 million worldwide and received more mixed reactions from critics.
Then, in 2019, the wholeLegofilm franchise came crashing down asThe Lego Movie Movie 2: The Second Partwas a major box office disappointment. Arriving five years after the first film and even on the same weekend in February, opening at just $34 million, about half of what the first film made back in 2014.
By the end of its run,The Lego Batman Movie 2: The Second Partgrossed $105 million domestically and $199 million worldwide, about $271 million less thanThe Lego Movieand $113 million less thanThe Lego Batman Movie.
Only One Cinematic Batman Is Comic Accurate (And It’s Not Who You Think)
Batman’s most sacred rule in the comics is no killing, but for live-action films, only one can be said to uphold the rule entirely.
In December 2019, ten months afterThe Lego Movie 2: The Second Partopened in theaters, Universal Pictures entered talks to acquire the Lego film rights.A deal between Universal and Lego was struck in 2020, effectively canceling any plans Warner Bros. might have had for future Lego movies. One film canceled wasThe Billion Brick Race, but the second and most high profile was a sequel toThe Lego Batman Moviewhich would have been titledLego Superfriends.
What Would Lego Superfriends Been About
The Lego Batman Movieprimarily focused on Batman and his cast of characters, from villains to supporting characters. Still, the film andThe Lego Moviealso included many members of the Justice League, including Superman (Channing Tatum), Wonder Woman (Cobie Smulders), Green Lantern (Jonah Hill), and The Flash (Adam DeVine).
In 2018, Warner Bros. announced a planned sequel toThe Lego Batman Movie, with director Chris McKay returning to direct with a tentative 2022 release date. It would be titledLego Superfriends.
The film was being written byRick and Mortywriters Michael Waldron and Dan Harmon and would have focused on Batman’s relationship with the Justice League, particularly Superman, a plot element teased inThe Lego Batman Moviewhen Batman realizes the rest of The Justice League don’t invite him to parties.
The main antagonists would have been Lex Luthor and OMAC, and the script was said to bepulling influence fromThe Godfather Part IIandBoogie Nights, but no one has elaborated on that further.
The Batman v Superman Movie We Almost Got in 2004
Audiences almost saw a different Batman vs. Superman in 2004 that could have changed the careers of Christopher Nolan, Colin Farrell, and the X-Men.
Yet it was clear after the box office disappointment ofThe Lego Movie 2: The Second Partthat any future movies would be put on hold. The final nail in the coffin was Universal Pictures acquiring the film rights toLego; due toDC Comics being a subsidiary of Warner Bros., all DC characters are blocked from appearing in Universal PicturesLegomovies unless the two studios can make a deal.
This not only makesLego Superfriendsimpossible to make with the new Universal deal but also means audiences have seen the last ofLego Batmanunless Warner Bros. ever acquires the property again.
Lego at Universal Pictures
Universal made a five-year deal withLegoin 2020, now nearly up. There were many delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but their first film using the Lego property is not what many expected.
Instead of doing a newLego Movieor taking one of their Universal properties likeFast & FuriousorJurassic Parkand making a Lego-themed movie, the studio is instead going for a musical biopic done in the style of Legos.
Piece by Piecewill chronicle the life and career of musician Pharrell Williams, who did everything in the style of Legos. The movie is set to hit theaters on August 04, 2025, and will be a different type ofLegomovie than what people expect.
Meanwhile, in 2023, directors Aaron and Adam Nee, hot off the romantic comedyThe Lost City, wereannounced as developing a newLego Moviefor Universal Pictures.
While the studio cannot use Batman or any other DC superheroes, it appears they are also blocked from using any original characters made for The Lego Movie, like Emmett (Chris Pratt), Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), Metalbeard (Nick Offerman), Benny the Spaceman (Charlie Day), or Princess Unikitty (Alison Brie) as they are Warner Bros. characters. So even ifThe Lego Movie 3does happen, it must focus on a new batch of characters.
Notably,The Lego Batman Movie’s sequel,Lego Superfriends, is anotherJustice Leagueproject that faced behind-the-scenes problems. Yet unlikeZack Snyder’s Justice League, this one never can see the light of day because it was never filmed. It will be another “what if?” The Lego-themed Justice League movie is much likeGeorge Miller’sJustice League Mortal, which never happened.
As it stands,The Lego Batman Movieis a great comedic take on Batman and one of the best standalone Batman movies ever made.
