'The LEGO Movie' was a huge, huge success for both Warner Bros. and LEGO (over $225 million and the highest-grossing movie of the year, so far) and both parties moved quickly to make sure 'The LEGO Movie 2' was happening. That's the good news. The bad news is that it will be happening without Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who wrote and directed the original.

Like 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2,' Lord and Miller will produce the upcoming 'LEGO' sequel, but have instead passed the directorial reigns over to Chris McKay, the 'LEGO Movie' co-director. Michelle Morgan and Jared Stern are currently writing the 'LEGO Movie 2' script.

UPDATE: Chris Miller just tweeted his and Lord's support of McKay:

It's disappointing to know that Lord and Miller, who were so much a part of what made 'The LEGO Movie' a hit, won't be returning, but one can hardly blame them. 'The LEGO Movie' made them A-list directors and with '22 Jump Street' opening this summer, they're going to want to focus their career live-action. Lord and Miller spent about four years making 'The LEGO Movie,' which is a lot of time to devote to one project.

The directing duo haven't yet decided on their next project and when we asked them, they said they just wanted to take a break. And, that more than anything seems like the motivation behind not immediately launching into 'The LEGO Movie 2,' which Warner Bros. has already locked into a May 26, 2017 release date.

As for 'The LEGO Movie 2,' McKay has proved himself a worthy successor, working closely with Lord and Miller on the original and working with Adult Swim for many years (so you know he shares a similar, subversive sense of humor).

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