Soz Guys, The 'Chicken Run' Sequel Might Actually Be A While Off Yet

Nostalgia is a beautiful thing, but sometimes the film industry can go a little too far in creating unneeded remakes, reboots, and sequels. However, if there's one film that totally deserves a follow up its Aardman's most successful film Chicken Run. While the animation studio confirmed last April that a sequel is on the cards, there hasn't been word of when it will actually be released. So, when is the Chicken Run sequel out?

Update: In a statement sent to Bustle from a rep for Aardman, Chicken Run 2 is currently in production but there is no "update on the release date just yet."

Earlier: If you need a slight refresher, the first Chicken Run saw a group of chickens who were practically prisoners of a coop run by a grumpy, middle-aged couple called the Tweedys. As the official synopsis details, if the chickens didn't lay the target number of eggs each day they would face the chopping block and be made into a pie. After numerous attempts to escape, a renegade American rooster stumbles across the coop and eventually helps them escape.

Anyway, back to the sequel. It was first announced by Aardman in April 2018 via Twitter, and at the time the animation studio noted that the film was in early development. If you take into account that the original took three and a half years to produce, the earliest release date would probably be 2022. There's also the upcoming Shaun the Sheep sequel, which as Movie Web reports was first announced in 2015 but didn't reach the pre-production phase until the beginning of 2017 and will be released on October 18 this year.

I've reached out to Aardman to see whether they have any info regarding a release date (or at least news on when there will be one), but have yet to receive a reply — I'll deffo keep you updated if I do.

Anyway, back to Chicken Run 2. While there's no release date on the horizon at the moment, the film will be made in conjunction with StudioCanal and Pathe who are frequent collaborators with the animation studio. As The Hollywood Reporter reports, Pathe co-financed the original movie with DreamWorks Animation and distributed it in Europe.

In terms of whether the original cast will be featured, as BBC reports it hasn't been confirmed whether the likes of Julia Sawalha (who played Ginger) and Mel Gibson (who played Rocky Rhodes) will be returning. However, according to Hollywood Reporter Sam Fell will direct (ParaNorman, Flushed Away), with writers Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell reportedly "reunit[ing] to pen the screenplay."

With so many original players returning, it's more than possible that the sequel will replicate the successes of its predecessor. As BBC reports, Chicken Run is still the most successful stop-motion-animated film of all time, initially earning £161.3 million at the box office and $106 million in the U.S. as Hollywood Reporter details. Hopefully, the sequel stays close to its roots as well in terms of stop-motion, or whether it will followFlushed Away's production which was completely CGI but in a stop-motion style.

Whatever direction Aardman decides to take with this film, when Chicken Run 2 eventually releases cinemas across the nation are going to be full of twentysomethings.