We're officially getting another Angry Birds movie, and the cast will include some familiar voices.
Rovio, Sega, and Prime Focus Studios announced in a press release today that The Angry Birds Movie 3 is in production, with DNEG Animation attached as an animation partner. Additionally, Jason Sudeikis and Josh Gad, who voiced Red and Chuck respectively in the first two films, will be returning to star.
Another returning player will be John Rice, who will step into the director's chair this time around. Rice co-directed The Angry Birds Movie 2 and was the lead storyboard artist on the first film, in addition to directing credits on Rick & Morty, Bob’s Burgers, Beavis and Butt-head, and more. Thurop Van Orman, who directed The Angry Birds Movie 2, will be coming back to write the script.
The announcement didn't reveal any plot details, other than the fact that The Angry Birds Movie 3 "will follow the continuing adventures of Red and Chuck."
“We are thrilled to announce that the brand-new film of the globally beloved and successful Angry Birds franchise is to be in production,” said Shuji Utsumi, President and COO at Sega, in the announcement. “Sega has been focusing on its Transmedia strategy to advance the value of its intellectual properties (IP) across games and diverse media landscapes. We believe that the upcoming The Angry Birds Movie 3 perfectly aligns with our strategy and presents a great opportunity for us to bring the charm of the Angry Birds brand to fans across the globe.”
The first Angry Birds Movie debuted in 2016, capitalizing on Rovio's wildly popular mobile game series. In addition to Sudeikis and Gad, the star-studded voice cast also included Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Kate McKinnon, Sean Penn, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Bill Hader, and Peter Dinklage, some of whom returned for the 2019 sequel. Altogether, the two films combined have grossed more than $500 million at the worldwide box office.
What's interesting, though, is that Rovio wasn't owned by Sega as the time of the first two films' releases. Sega completed its acquisition of Rovio for a reported $775 million last year, adding Angry Birds to the Sonic the Hedgehog publisher's umbrella. Sony Pictures distributed the first two Angry Birds movies; a distributor was not named in today's announcement.
As Utsumi alludes to in his statement, Sega has been building up its cross-media portfolio in recent years, particularly with Sonic the Hedgehog. The publisher has been working with Paramount Pictures on the film series and the Paramount+ spinoff show Knuckles, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is set for December 20, 2024.
A release date for The Angry Birds Movie 3 hasn't been revealed. IGN gave The Angry Birds Movie 2 a 6/10 in 2019, with Simon Thompson writing that it "does what you’d expect it to do, some nice touches move the franchise forward, but it could have dug deeper as some other franchises have."
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
