With The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie earning a billion at the box office each, it wouldn't be too surprising to see Illumination start moving away from some of its other properties to focus on this new success. The Minions will stick around forever, but perhaps Sing and The Secret Life of Pets could take a backseat.
That's not the case according to Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri, though. Speaking with Collider, he confirmed threequels for both movies are in the works, as the people working at Illumination love those properties. "Well, these are clearly two movies that not only do I love, but the filmmakers love them. The studio loves them. We have been working on both. They're both, I would say, in active development," Meledandri said.
"It took us a while to come back to Pets, waiting for an idea that we felt really would earn its place rather than simply just making another Pets movie. I think we found a way into a Secret Life of Pets story that I certainly love. We're working with Chris Renaud, who not only was the co-director of Despicable Me with Pierre Coffin, but also the original director of Pets. So, we are well underway, working hard on an idea that I'm hoping that we'll make soon," Meledandri continued. Regarding Sing 3, he said they're working with Garth Jennings, the writer and director on the first two movies, again to create a third film that'll please fans.
No major announcements to be made for now, but Meledandri did state that Illumination has plans all the way through to 2031, so it's likely a third Sing and third Secret Life of Pets will be a part of that long-term strategy.