Eager to get Kung Fu Panda 3 off the ground, Dreamworks Animation has added another director to the animated threequel. According to Deadline, Alessandro Carloni will help Kung Fu Panda 2‘s Jennifer Yuh pick up the pace and get the film into theaters.
Carloni doesn’t yet have a feature film under his belt, but worked in the animation department for several big Dreamworks projects, including the How to Train Your Dragon films, The Croods, and the first two Kung Fu Panda pics. It was Yuh who actually requested that Carloni come aboard, and Dreamworks obliged.
In an effort to recover from the recent box office disappointments that were Turbo, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, and Penguins of Madagascar, Dreamworks will soon lean heavily on sequels to some of their bigger films, like How To Train Your Dragon 3, and The Croods 2, as well as a Captain Underpants adaptation. They also have two original films in the pipeline: Home (which arrives on March 27) and Me and My Shadow (which marks Carloni’s first big screen directing effort).
Kung Fu Panda 3 is set to arrive in theaters on March 18, 2016, and stars returning players Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Seth Rogen. Joining them are Breaking Bad‘s Byran Cranston, Hannibal‘s Mads Mikkelsen, and Pitch Perfect actress Rebel Wilson.