It has been over a year since Netflix acquired the rights to Aardman Animations’ long-in-development Chicken Run 2, and now the streamer has finally announced the first official details about the animated sequel including its title and voice cast. Production is currently underway.
The long-awaited sequel to 2000’s acclaimed stop-motion animated film has now been officially titled Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. It is set to feature the voices of Shazam! star Zachary Levi and Thandiwe Newton (Westworld ), who are replacing original stars Mel Gibson and Julia Sawalha for the respective leading roles of Rocky and Ginger.
Described as a comedy action-adventure with a moving family story at its heart, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget will mark the latest collaboration between Netflix and Aardman following last year’s musical short film Robin Robin.
“Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger has finally found her dream – a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world,” reads the synopsis. “When she and Rocky hatch a little girl called Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team, even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk – this time, they’re breaking in!”
Joining Levi and Newton as one of the sequel’s lead characters is Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) as Rocky and Ginger’s headstrong daughter, Molly — a true chick-off-the-old-block who completes the family trio in this new chapter.
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The sequel’s voice cast will also feature returning cast members including Jane Horrocks as Babs, Imelda Staunton as Bunty, and Lynn Ferguson as Mac along with new additions Josie Sedgwick-Davies as Frizzle, David Bradley as Fowler, Romesh Ranganathan as Nick, Daniel Mays as Fetcher, and Nick Mohammed as Dr. Fry.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is being directed by Sam Fell (Flushed Away, ParaNorman) from a screenplay written by Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell, and Rachel Tunnard. Executive producers are Peter Lord, Carla Shelley, Karey Kirkpatrick and Nick Park, with Steve Pegram and Leyla Hobart serving as producers.
