Director Chris Renaud will return to direct ‘The Secret Life of Pets 2’ with co-writer Brian Lynch returning to write the screenplay.
Illumination Entertainment’s The Secret Life of Pets crossed $400 million at the global box office earlier today, and now, according to a report by Deadline, a sequel has been confirmed for a July 13, 2018 release date.
Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and his longtime collaborator Janet Healy will produce the follow-up to the CG-animated comedy, which cost a slim $75 million to produce and scored the best debut ever for an original property, not accounting for inflation, upon its release on July 8. Taking in $104.3 million over its opening weekend for distributor Universal, The Secret Life of Pets was also the sixth-top opening ever for any animated film, and Illumination's second-best launch following last summer's Minions ($115.7 million). The film has now made a total of $300.3 million at the domestic box office and $103.5 million overseas for a total of $403.8 million worldwide.
Director Chris Renaud will return to direct the sequel, entitled The Secret Life of Pets 2, with co-writer Brian Lynch returning to write the screenplay. No other details about the project are known at this time.
The Secret Lives of Pets, which follows pets who turn homes upside down when their owners leave for the day, features a stellar voice cast including Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Jenny Slate, Bobby Moynihan, Hannibal Buress and Albert Brooks.
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
