Stop-motion animation takes a long time to make. Like, a looooooong time. We first heard about Aardman working on a sequel to their 2000 film Chicken Run back in the spring of 2018. Four years later, Aardman is still working on it — but it’s finally getting closer to release. Today, Netflix revealed the project’s full title, cast, and plot synopsis for the first time.

The movie is called Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, and it stars Thandiwe Newton and Zachary Levi in the lead roles of chickens Ginger and Rocky, replacing Julia Sawalha and Mel Gibson from the original Chicken Run. (Last year, Sawalha revealed she was not invited back for the sequel, claiming Aardman told her she sounded “too old” to voice a talking chicken.) The rest of the cast includes Bella Ramsey, Jane Horrocks, and Imelda Staunton.

Here is how Netflix describes the premise of the film, which continues the story of the original:

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. 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!

The film is being directed by Sam Fell, a stop-motion veteran who previously directed Aardman’s Flushed Away, as well as the excellent ParaNorman. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is expected to debut on Netflix some time in 2023.

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