Striking while the animated iron is still piping hot, Warner Bros. has premiered the first full trailer for The LEGO Ninjago Movie, Charlie Bean’s ninja-themed spinoff pegged to arrive in September.
Much like The LEGO Batman Movie before it – look for that one to scurry into theaters this Friday, February 10th – LEGO Ninjago features an all-star cast, one headed up by the illustrious Jackie Chan. He’ll voice Master Wu, the wise-cracking and indeed wise old sage that whips together a team of LEGO Master Builders to protect Ninjago City from threats anew. And so, the fate of the idyllic metropolis falls into the tiny hands of Kai (Michael Pena), Nya (Abbi Jacobson), Jay (Kumail Nanjiani), Zane (Zach Woods), Cole (Fred Armisen) and Lloyd (Dave Franco), and the latter will have vested interest in Wu’s plan given he’ll be going up against his estranged old man, the villainous Lord Garmadon (AKA Worst Guy Ever) as voiced by Justin Theroux.
Yes, in The LEGO Ninjago Movie, the forces of good and evil are quite literally related – cue Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” – as Lloyd and the gang fight to protect Ninjago and its people at all costs. For all of the promise of action and city-levelling destruction, it’s really the zany one-liners and gags that have us excited, and we’re pleased to report that the Ninjago Movie looks set to channel the crackerjack energy of both The LEGO Movie and the imminent Batman spinoff rather effortlessly.
On February 10th, director Chris McKay will steer Warner’s budding universe toward Gotham City for The LEGO Batman Movie. It’s a rib-tickling romp, and arguably the best Batman film in years, though The LEGO Ninjago Movie will expand Warner’s animated franchise in a new and exciting direction on September 22nd. A direct sequel to The LEGO Movie is also on the horizon after appointing Trolls‘ Mike Mitchell at the helm. Look for that one to bow in 2019.
“In this big-screen Ninjago adventure, the battle for Ninjago City calls to action young Lloyd, aka the Green Ninja, along with his friends, who are all secret warriors and LEGO Master Builders. Led by kung fu master Wu, as wise-cracking as he is wise, they must defeat evil warlord Garmadon, the Worst Guy Ever, who also happens to be Lloyd’s dad. Pitting mech against mech and father against son, the epic showdown will test this fierce but undisciplined team of modern-day ninjas who must learn to check their egos and pull together to unleash their true power.”
