As Pixar celebrates "Hoppers," its best opening for an original animation title since 2017’s "Coco", there’s a bunch of buzz coming out of the Emeryville, CA studio.
The animation studio is developing a third movie in the iconic “Monsters Inc.” franchise.
The project was revealed in a lengthy Wall Street Journal profile that examined the inner workings at Pixar as the studio debuted “Hoppers.”
The franchise’s first movie, 2001’s “Monsters, Inc.,” operates on the premise that monsters must scare children to power the city.
The movie, directed by now-Pixar chief creative officer Pete Docter and featuring the voices of John Goodman and Billy Crystal, was a massive hit at the box office, grossing $528.7 million worldwide.
It spawned the 2013 prequel, “Monsters University,” helmed by Dan Scanlon, outperforming the original with a $743.5 million global tally.
The success led to the sequel series “Monsters at Work,” which ran for two seasons.
Details of the direct of the next entry and plot — including where in the story’s timeline the action will occur — are being kept under wraps.
In addition to the “Monsters” franchise, Pixar has a few more major sequels in the works, including June’s “Toy Story 5,” which sees Buzz Lightyear and a (balding!) Woody face off against a smart tablet; “The Incredibles 3,” dated for 2028 and helmed by “Elemental” director Peter Sohn; and a second “Coco” movie, expected to debut in 2029.
But the studio is also taking some big swings on original stories, like next year’s “Gatto,” about a feline thief in Venice.
Pixar reportedly pivoted “Ono Ghost Market,” a project inspired by “Asian myths about supernatural bazaars where the living and dead interact,” from a streaming series to a movie.
The studio is also developing its first-ever musical, from “Turning Red” director Domee Shi.
As for “Hoppers,” the animal-centric adventure earned $3.2 million in previews and is projected to earn $35 million to $40 million from 4,000 theaters this weekend.
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