Twenty years after the release of the stop-motion animated hit “Chicken Run,” Aardman studio on Tuesday announced that a sequel will go into production next year for distribution by Netflix (excluding China).
The film will pick up the story of the chickens who pulled off an escape from Tweedy’s farm in the original film where Ginger (voiced in the original by Julia Sawalha) has finally found her dream – a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world. When she and Rocky hatch a little girl called Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team, even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk — this time, they’re breaking in!
It’s unclear if Mel Gibson, who voiced escape-plan leader Rocky in the original, and other members of the vocal cast will be returning for the sequel.
Sam Fell (“Flushed Away,” “ParaNorman”) will direct the new film from a script by Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’ Farrell and Rachel Tunnard; Nick Park, creator of Aardman hits like “Wallace and Gromit” and “Shaun the Sheep,” will have a consulting role in the film.
Steve Pegram and Leyla Hobart will produce, while Peter Lord, Carla Shelley and Karey Kirkpatrick will return as executive producers.
The 2000 “Chicken Run” grossed nearly $225 million at the worldwide box office and remains the top-grossing stop-motion animated hit of all time.
“Fans around the world have waited patiently for a sequel idea worthy of Chicken Run so we’re delighted to announce, on the 20th anniversary, that we’ve found the perfect story,” Peter Lord, Aardman co-founder and creative director, said in a statement. “Netflix feels like the ideal creative partner for this project too: they celebrate the film-maker, which means we can make the film we want to make – the one we really care about – and share it with a global audience.”
Original distributors Studiocanal and Pathé closed a deal with Aardman to allow the transfer of the sequel rights to Netflix.