The Incredibles 2 Goes in "New Directions," But Fans Shouldn't Worry, Director Says

It's been 12 years since the release of Pixar's The Incredibles, which is to say that fans have been waiting a long, long time for the sequel. The movie's 2019 release date is still three years away, but now, director Brad Bird has given fans an update on how the animated movie is coming along.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Bird wouldn't give away any information about the plot because "I don't like unwrapping presents before Christmas," he said with a laugh. On a more serious note, Bird assured fans that the movie is "very actively moving."

Perhaps more intriguing is that Bird said Pixar's hope is to take The Incredibles 2 "in some new directions" while still staying true to the original's tone.

"Hopefully it's the same characters and feel, but going in a new direction," he added. "I mean, that's the trick with a sequel. It's repeating yourself, without repeating yourself."

The Incredibles 2, or whatever the movie ends up being called, is slated to arrive in theaters on June 21, 2019. It's been a long time coming for fans of the original, which came to theaters in November 2004. Assuming The Incredibles 2 stays on schedule, it will arrive some 15 years after the first one.

There is no word on the plot for the sequel. The first movie's ending saw the world coming under threat from an evil mole character named The Underminer, with the family of unlikely superheroes preparing to do battle again. The 2005 THQ game, The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer, tied up some of the loose ends from the movie, but it's not clear if the game was actually canon or not.

The Incredibles featured the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, and Samuel L. Jackson, though casting details for the sequel have not yet been announced. The film won two Oscars, including Best Animated Film and Best Achievement in Sound Editing.

Though Pixar fans will have to wait a while longer for The Incredibles 2, Pixar's Cars 3 comes out next summer. Toy Story 4 follows the next summer before The Incredibles 2 comes out a year later.

After The Incredibles 2, Pixar does not have any further sequels planned for any of its franchises.