A Chicken Run sequel is officially in the works. In 2021, Aardman Animation and Netflix released an acclaimed musical short titled Robin Robin. The animated short received much critical acclaim, including spots on the Oscars shortlist and the BAFTA longlist. Following the success of their first collaboration, Netflix and Aardman are excitedly pursuing new projects, with one of the biggest being Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. A first image from the sequel has also been released.

Chicken Run is the highest grossing stop-motion animation film of all time, and a sequel has long been a dream for the team at Aardman. The studio shared that they've been waiting for "the right story and the right partner," for a long time. With the success of Robin Robin, the studio felt that this was the perfect opportunity to finally pursue that dream and "bring back our poultry heroes."

The original Chicken Run, which was released in 2000, follows a flock of chickens determined to escape their fate at the farm where they're being raised for the slaughter. The farm owners, Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy, have plans to turn them all into delicious chicken pies, but Ginger the chicken, a strategist and mastermind, and Rocky the rooster, a snazzy American, organize their feathery friends to escape their evil clutches.

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Image via DreamWorks/Aardman Animations

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Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget will keep the same comedy action adventure energy of its predecessor and follow the same flock of chickens from the first film, with a hearty mix of new voices and returning characters. Thandie Newton and Zachary Levi will be joining the cast to voice the heroic power couple Ginger and Rocky, respectively. In this sequel, the pair now have a daughter named Molly. Their audacious offspring is described as "a true chick-off-the-old-block," and she'll be voiced by Game of Thrones alum Bella Ramsey.

Returning cast members reprising their roles from Chicken Run include, British icon Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter, Pride) as Bunty, Jane Horrocks as Babs, and Lyn Ferguson as Mac. The film will also have several delightful new characters including Frizzle (Josie Sedgwick-Davies), Fowler (David Bradley), Nick (Romesh Ranganathan), Fetcher (Daniel Mays), and Dr. Fry (Nick Mohammed). Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is set to be directed by Sam Fell featuring the screenplay from Karey Kirkpatrick, John O'Farrell, and Rachel Tunnard.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget will come to Netflix exclusively in 2023. Check out the summary (and the first image) for the thrilling sequel below!

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!

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