"The Lego Movie 2" release date gets a green signal, with a different director at the helm.

"The Lego Movie 2" release date is pegged for 2018; Warner Bros. execs actually have the sequel slated even before the first movie came out, being confident of its success.

It's apparent the sequel won't be titled "The Lego Movie 2," but it'll have the Lego brand somewhere in there. Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller won't be returning to direct the new film, though, with Chris McKay taking charge (cinemablend.com).

McKay was an animation co-director for the first movie, with work on TV's "Robot Chicken" to his credit. It's reported McKay is now fleshing out the sequel's storyline, which may not be a direct follow-up to the first.

"The Lego Movie 2" cast is still up in the air, but a tease of the characters has supposedly leaked. Notable is the introduction of Ninjago, in which a broader LEGO empire will focus on. The sequel to Emmet's story arc may be diminished or scrapped altogether.

A sneak peek of Ninjago was recently featured in Cartoon Network:

Lord and Miller did talk about creating more female characters for the sequel, though, in an effort to better represent the female audience. In an interview with BBC:

"It's important to us that the movie plays broadly and that we inspire young women as much as we inspire young men."

"I don't want to give spoilers but there will be more female characters and more female stuff."

"The Lego Movie 2" trailer of sorts is the first peek on what Lord and Miller plans on the sequel, in which they will contribute in writing.

"You can feel that the whole movie culture is now starting to wake up to the fact that half the audience are women. Frozen is reflective of that - and I think we are all going to find a great flourishing of women film makers and subject matter in the future."