20 years after the original, a Chicken Run sequel is officially in the works. Aardman Animations announced today, on the two-decade anniversary of the first film, that they’re partnering with Netflix to make a sequel to their beloved stop-motion family movie about a bunch of chickens who escape their prison-like farm.
Chieken Run 2 will be directed by Sam Fell (Flushed Away, ParaNorman) and produced by Steve Pegram (Arthur Christmas) and Leyla Hobart. Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell and Rachel Tunnard are penning the script, while Wallace and Gromit creator and Aardman Co-Founder Nick Park has a consulting role.
Peter Lord, Aardman Co-Founder and Creative Director, had this to say in a statement:
“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. 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.”
Despite the many successes in the medium that have come out since, including Aardman’s own Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Chicken Run retains the honor of being the highest-grossing stop-motion animated movie of all time. It starred Mel Gibson and Julia Salwalha as Rocky the American rooster and brave British hen Ginger. And going by the sequel’s official synopsis, they’ll both be back for this follow-up:
“Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger 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!”
Chicken Run 2 is expected to head into full production in 2021 and will be released on the streaming giant globally (except in China).