'Chicken Run 2' Coming to Netflix

After 20 years, a sequel to Chicken Run is on the way, and it will premiere on Netflix. On Tuesday, Aardman Animations announced that Chicken Run 2 will be a Netflix original film, and it will be here soon. Few details are available about the plot so far, but the movie has been in the works for a while now.

Aardman is best-known for Wallace & Gromit, though it has produced other iconic stop motion animations over the years as well. Many of today's Netflix subscribers hold a special place in their hearts for Chicken Run, which was first released in 2000. Two decades later, Aardman is partnering with Netflix to bring fans the sequel they've always wanted, picking up with Ginger, Rocky and other characters from the original living on an island sanctuary. Ginger and Rocky even share a child named Molly, who will help them face down "a terrible new threat."

Chicken Run 2 is being directed by Sam Fell, best-known for ParaNorman. Screenwriter John O'Farrell is returning as well, telling Annecy festival attendees: "It'll be fun and games seeing these chickens back in action." So far, there is no word on casting, including whether or not Julia Sawalha or Mel Gibson will reprise their roles as the lead characters.

"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," said Aardman co-founder and creative director Peter Lord. "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."

For the original Chicken Run, Aardman worked with DreamWorks Animation, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal and, by extension, WarnerMedia, yet the movie is not streaming on HBO Max. Instead, the original Chicken Run is currently available to Hulu subscribers.

This time around, Netflix has nabbed the movie as part of its push to gain a foothold in the animation market. The streaming giant has already seen some success with movies like Klaus back in the Christmas season. However, with more competition than ever in the so-called streaming wars, Netflix has to work twice as hard, so a deal with Aardman is a big win for both companies.

Aardman is working on other projects for Netflix as well, including Robin Robin, another holiday-themed special due out at the end of this year. So far, there is no release date in place for Chicken Run 2.