With The Lego Movie directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord juggling a number of different projects, including that perplexing 21 Jump Street/ Men In Black crossover film at Sony, Warners has been left to find someone who could take over directing duties on a sequel to last summer’s hit movie. The studio has found that person in the form of Rob Schrab.
Although this will be Scrab’s first feature film, he comes with a resume of directing for a number of edgy and quirky television series including The Sarah Silverman Program, Community, Workaholics and The Mindy Project. In addition to his television directing work, Schrab co-wrote the 2006 animated feature Monster House with Community creator Dan Harmon. Previously, the two created the cult-hit pilot Heat Vision And Jack. Schrab and Harmon were members of the Wisconsin comedy improve troupe The Dead Alewives. Harmon also co-wrote on Scrab’s indie comic, Scud, The Disposable Assassin, which was optioned by Oliver Stone back in the mid-90s.
Lord and Miller are still attached to write and produce the film, though I would not be surprised if Schrab participated in the scripting process.
The sequel, now officially titled The Lego Movie Sequel, is set to be in theaters in 2018, after two other Lego-themed movies – A Ninjago film in 2016 and a film featuring The Lego Movie’s version of Batman as voiced by Will Arnett.
I have been a fan of Scrab’s work going all the way back to his days on Scud, one of the first indie comic book series that really stood out for me as having a unique point of view in a field that all-too-often was feeling as if it had nothing to offer but cookie-cutter options. A look at his resume certainly suggests that he has continued to ply that worldview through his television work to varying degrees, making him a rather good fit for the job of extending out the crazy and creative world that Miller and Lord have already laid out.
