Charlie Bean, who directed Disney XD’s animated series Tron: Uprising, has nabbed the gig to direct Ninjago, Warner Bros.’ big-screen adaptation of the popular Lego toy line.
Brothers Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman, who received “story by” credit on The Lego Movie, are writing Ninjago. The Lego line has already spawned the hit Cartoon Network animated series Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, which the Hageman brothers also wrote.
VIDEO: ‘The Lego Movie’ Teaser Trailer: Batman and the Ninja Turtles Join Forces
Ninjago sees ninjas, samurais, and senseis fight side-by-side against dragons, armies of snake men, and Lord Gagmadon, an evil warlord banished to an underworld who now seeks to return to power.
Warners-based Dan Lin and Roy Lee, who are producing The Lego Movie, will produce Ninjago alongside Chris Miller and Phil Lord. The latter two are the directors of Lego Movie, the computer-animated adventure-comedy that is scheduled to be released Feb. 7, 2014.
Lego’s Jill Wilfert, who oversees all the Lego movies on behalf of the company, is executive producing. Courtenay Valenti is overseeing for Warners.
Ninjago will be the feature directorial debut for Bean, who also directed Cartoon Network’s Robotboy and acted as layout artist, storyboard artist and writer for influential animated shows such as Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls and The Ren & Stimpy Show.
He is repped by Verve.
E-mail: Borys.Kit@tTHR.com
Twitter: @borys_kit
