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Tiffany Haddish Will Star in ‘The Lego Movie Sequel’

We’re certain that Haddish can hold her own in the wild, sharp world of anthropomorphic Lego pieces.
Girls Trip Tiffany Haddish
By  · Published on March 26th, 2018

We’re certain that Haddish can hold her own in the wild, sharp world of anthropomorphic Lego pieces.

Out of the many franchises inundating the public’s filmgoing experience these days, The Lego Movie series is one of the more surprising offerings that have opened up an avenue of spin-off possibilities. In the last few years, The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie attempted to tease out some of that potential to varying degrees of success — the former ended up being very well received by critics while the latter battled with a less-than-stellar response.

But the original Lego Movie is the real deal. It was a fantastically original take on the family film that combined both animation and toy adaptations into a unique experience. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller blended quirky comedy with some real existential questions that give the Toy Story series a run for its money. Flashy characters like Batman and Wonder Woman don’t make up the entire appeal of the first film, although they certainly add a ton of flavor and personality to the film. The real plot line to tease out in The Lego Movie is where will Master Builder Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) go next and who will he meet along the way?

The Hollywood Reporter has some answers to those questions when it announced that everyone’s favorite new actress Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip) will be voicing a new key character in The Lego Movie Sequel. I wanted her to be in a movie with a different white Chris, but this is still a huge deal for a star in the making. Details about her role are kept under wraps for now, although the news that she’ll be an important player in the ensemble film is already a huge treat. Pratt will return as Emmet, with Elizabeth Banks reprising her role as Wyldstyle, Will Arnett as Batman, Channing Tatum as Superman, and Jonah Hill as Green Lantern.

The story itself has undergone several reported changes over the years. Lord and Miller won’t be back to direct The Lego Movie Sequel, but they retain producing and writing credits, keeping the core creative team intact. The most recent iteration of a Lego Movie Sequel plot was revealed in September 2017, which involved gender roles in the world of Lego. According to Screenrant, animation co-director Chris McKay said:

“The man upstairs [in ‘The Lego Movie’] said, ‘You’ve gotta play with your sister. That’s the thing you’ve gotta promise me. I’ll let you play with my world, but now you’ve gotta let your sister come in and play with your world.’ Now, she’s coming in, and that’s the major thing that the movie is about. What’s different and similar about gender when a boy plays vs. how a girl plays?”

Similarly, The Lego Movie Sequel has changed hands between multiple directors over the years too. McKay, who eventually went on to direct The Lego Batman Movie, was first slated to helm the film back in 2014, before being replaced by Rob Schrab (The Sarah Silverman Program) in 2017. Now, Mike Mitchell of Trolls fame will take the reins and bring The Lego Movie Sequel to life.

I have yet to see Trolls, but childhood favorite Sky High is also amongst Mitchell’s directorial credits (which generally includes family-friendly fare). Also known as the movie that broke Mary Elizabeth Winstead onto the mainstream movie scene, Sky High is a high school superhero romp that deals with your typical coming-of-age themes set in a less posh version of Professor X’s School for the Gifted. Mitchell’s spirited direction in Sky High and his experience with animated films makes him a fitting candidate to direct The Lego Movie Sequel. That should keep fans of the original film at ease.

Haddish would also make a charming addition and would certainly cut a distinctive silhouette amongst the existing cast. The Lego Movie Sequel is certainly a more promising move than the Tyler Perry film she also recently signed onto as well. Haddish’s star continues to rise exponentially and for good reason. She definitely takes the already-intriguing sequel to a whole new level of awesome.

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Sheryl Oh often finds herself fascinated (and let's be real, a little obsessed) with actors and their onscreen accomplishments, developing Film School Rejects' Filmographies column as a passion project. She's not very good at Twitter but find her at @sherhorowitz anyway. (She/Her)