{"id":68918,"date":"2023-12-15T07:25:14","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T07:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordcelnews.com\/?p=68918"},"modified":"2023-12-15T07:25:14","modified_gmt":"2023-12-15T07:25:14","slug":"chicken-run-2-director-talks-23-year-wait-and-new-cast-after-ditching-mel-gibson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordcelnews.com\/tv-movies\/chicken-run-2-director-talks-23-year-wait-and-new-cast-after-ditching-mel-gibson\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicken Run 2 director talks 23-year wait and new cast after ditching Mel Gibson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget official teaser<\/h3>\n

23 years after Chicken Run thrilled fans across the world in 2000, Rocky, Ginger and the rest of the formerly cooped-up gang are back with a new addition to the family after a number of obstacles threatened to stop the project in its tracks over the years.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Daily Express at the London Film Festival, director Sam Fell explained that the two-decade gap between films wasn\u2019t at all intended but as a result, most of the original cast also had to be replaced.<\/p>\n

He explained: \u201cThe first movie is so great and such a milestone for the studio and British animation in general, we had to make this one as great as the first one in its own right.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bar was very high so we couldn\u2019t just turn something around quickly. We\u2019re slow filmmakers and good things take a long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just takes time to make good things,\u201d he added referring to the laborious process behind stop-motion animation.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Additionally, a studio fire at Aardman Animation destroyed many of the puppets from the original blockbuster and the pandemic interrupted the production in many different ways.<\/p>\n

When the Chicken Run sequel was officially announced, many were surprised to see the iconic A-list cast had almost been entirely replaced with a string of new Hollywood stars.<\/p>\n

While Mel Gibson originally took the role of high-flying cockerel Rocky, Zachary Levi is now the voice behind the out-of-place American rooster.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Julia Sawalha had the leading role in the 2000 blockbuster but was replaced with Mission Impossible star Thandiwe Newton as Ginger.<\/p>\n

Don’t miss… <\/strong>
Chicken Run 2 trailer \u2013 Mrs Tweedy returns but not Mel Gibson and more[VIDEO] <\/strong>
Chicken Run 2: Mel Gibson and ‘too old’ Julia Sawalha have been recast[INSIGHT] <\/strong>
Chicken Run 2 CONFIRMED for Netflix: Mission Impossible inspired story[UPDATE] <\/strong><\/p>\n

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When the recasting was announced in 2020, 55-year-old Julia released an open letter saying she was \u201cdevastated and saddened\u201d by the news and claimed she was told her voice \u201cnow sounds \u2018too old\u2019\u201d for the role despite Thandiwe being only four years younger.<\/p>\n

However, Sam, who wasn\u2019t involved in the original film, explained the decision a bit more on the red carpet saying: \u201cBecause it\u2019s been so long since the first one I felt it was a reboot more than just a simple sequel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really adore the first movie, I think the cast is brilliant, and I really just want to evolve the thing and make it my own.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just part of the evolution of Chicken Run to be its own thing. We make the film for now, as well as being really super respectful of the first one so it\u2019s a blend of old and new.\u201d<\/p>\n