Studio Update: "Johnny Thunder 3" to Finish Filming in May, Global Explorations Details, and The State of "Project U"

By: Andrew Bermudez

(LEGO Studios; April 24, 2014)

     Tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of the release of The Adventures of Legoman, so to commemorate this event, here is a look at what has been happening around the studio lately.

     To start things off, we have very good news: we have gotten word that the film crew for Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients will be finishing the Machu Picchu scenes this weekend, after which the action sequence on the Urubamba River will be shot. In fact, according to director Steven Lawrence, "it looks like the film's production will come to a close by the end of May. After we leave Peru, we only have one more location to go to, and that won't take long at all. A lot has happened since filming started in November 2011." With a tight post-production schedule, it looks like the film's release on July 18 will be a photo finish, so to speak.

     Because of this tight schedule, several measures are being made to ensure it's completion. First, the final set is currently under construction inside Soundstage 1, even though it's not being used for another month. "We wanted to get construction started early to get this set ready ahead of schedule," said art director Amy Gordon. "I'm not allowed to say much about this set, but I can tell you that it's going to be HUGE! That's why construction has started this early." 

     Another move being made to focus on the film's completion is the delay of the re-release of Jolly Roger and the Pirate Queen. Because of editing issues and the lack of time, the film will now be re-released August 9. The reason that this film is not being cancelled altogether is because of its strong connection to the upcoming promotion Global Explorations, which starts May 10.

     Speaking of Global Explorations, more details have been confirmed in regards to the promotion. To kick off the promotion, the Vacation: Unlimited Travel Journal will be re-skinned for the promotion, along with the "Vacation: Unlimited" page on the website. The big new development, though, is the promotion's big event, The Great Central Florida Theme Park Experience! The event will be a full coverage of Central Florida's most popular entertainment venues, which will include:

• Full Land-by-Land overviews for the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios Florida, Universal's Islands of Adventure, and SeaWorld Orlando.
• New "What's New to Do" reviews for both The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley.
• A look at Disney's new MagicBand and MyMagic+ experience and how it works.
• A look at select dining venues, including our correspondents' thoughts.
• Special souvenir items!
• And so much more!

     The posts will be released beginning in July, so check out the Travel Journal then for this amazing experience! Other parts of the promotion are Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients world travel ads, an animation contest, and more!

     In the meantime, a big project has slowed down in its development, with that project being Project U. While filming doesn't start until late July, all ten films will be filmed at the same time, though they will be released in the order listed on the website. However, three of the scripts are nowhere near finished. When asked about this, Mark Matthew replied, "Our writers are busy with LEGO Island: The Animated Series right now. But, when the season 1 episodes are all written, we are certain that we will also be able to complete these last three scripts as well. We hope they will all be finished by July."

     Well, that wraps up today's update. Have a great weekend, and keep an eye out for superhero fun on this press room this weekend, along with a review of the Los Angeles Zoo's newest addition, Rainforest of the Americas, on the Vacation: Unlimited Travel Journal. See you again soon!