Netflix is no stranger to making sequels to some of its biggest movies, or even going out and buying the sequels to other studios’ hit films. Not only does Netflix have the Knives Out follow-ups that are exclusive to the platform and the Fear Street trilogy they bought from 20th Century Studios, but sequels to Extraction and Enola Holmes. Just this week, Netflix rolled out the first trailer to Troll 2, the sequel to their biggest non-English language movie of all time. Now, however, the streamer has put plans in place to finally develop and release a sequel to their best animated movie, and it’s not the one you’re thinking of.
Back in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, many films that had been slated for theatrical releases were instead sold to Netflix by studios eager for cash and a streamer hoping to keep eyeballs on its platforms. Among those titles was none other than The Mitchells vs The Machines, a film from Sony Pictures Animation that hailed from Spider-Verse producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Now, Netflix and Sony have finally confirmed that six years later, the movie is getting a sequel.
According to Variety, Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation are entering a more “collaborative partnership” for the upcoming sequel to The Mitchells vs. the Machines, which will once again bring back Phil Lord and Christopher Miller as producers. Original director and co-writer Mike Rianda will seemingly not be returning, though the trade notes that Guillermo Martinez, who worked as head of story on the first film, will co-direct the new film. He’ll work alongside JP Sans of The Bad Guys 2 to direct the project, which has The Great North‘s Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin signed on to write the script.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines was a critical hit when it arrived on Netflix in 2021, earning eight Annie Awards and even an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. Though it has taken some time for this sequel to get off the ground, we spotlighted it just a few weeks ago as a film that should have started a franchise, it marks a major new addition to Netflix’s film library: a sci-fi franchise with no comparable release from a rival studio.
Though Disney’s Pixar has attempted to dive into science fiction with recent releases like Lightyear and Elio, neither of which was particularly successful, meaning their franchise possibilities were dead in the water (and it doesn’t bode well for the upcoming Hoppers). The Mitchells vs. the Machines doesn’t just have an immediate sci-fi premise that gives it a firm foundation to carry a franchise (the original film saw an AI make all electronics and robots turn against humans); it has a unique visual style that makes it stand out from any other animated series out there. This sequel is a long time coming for Netflix, and gives their library a major boon that no others have.
There is one problem, of course, with the development of The Mitchells vs. the Machines 2 that fans won’t want to hear, and that’s the timeline. According to the report that confirmed the sequel is happening at all, production on the sequel isn’t expected to start until early 2026. Given the timeline of animated movies in the modern era, this means that The Mitchells vs. the Machines 2 may not actually be released on Netflix until 2027 at the very earliest, and even that isn’t a guarantee. The good news is that a sequel is happening at all; the bad news is now we have to wait on it.
The post Netflix’s Best Animated Movie Confirmed for a Sequel, Starting a Completely New Sci-fi Franchise appeared first on ComicBook.com.
