Following up on the insane box office success of The Lego Movie last month (which is easily the highest grossing movie of 2014 thus far), Warner Brothers was quick to announce that they were already working on a sequel. They set a release date of May 26th, 2017 and also hired a pair of screenwriters to pen the script. However, it was still unclear if Phil Lord and Chris Miller would be returning to direct. It now appears that our earlier suspicions have been confirmed and the duo will not be back at the helm this time around. Warner Brothers has chosen a different director for the upcoming sequel, although Lord and Miller will retain some level of involvement as producers. Can everything still be awesome without them?

According to Deadline, Chris McKay has signed on to direct the untitled sequel to The Lego Movie. McKay was the animation co-director on The Lego Movie, so he seems like a logical choice to step in to replace Lord and Miller. His other credits include over 40 episodes of Robot Chicken for which he actually won an Emmy in 2012.

Jared Stern (Mr. Popper’s Penguins, The Internship) and Michelle Morgan (Girl Most Likely) are writing the script, but it’s unclear if they can capture the originality and creativity found in the first film. Hopefully they will find a unique way to turn the idea of a sequel on its head instead of just letting it become the simple 90-minute advertisement that the original should have been. Are you looking forward to The Lego Movie sequel? Should we be worried that Phil Lord and Chris Miller are not directing?