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The Lego Group is a Danish toy company that has produced many products based on original and licensed properties. The following is a list of products that were unproduced or unreleased cancelled media.
Originally in the 8549: Tarakava set from the summer of 2001, a yellow Tarakava was supposed to have been included with the teal one, but was replaced with the blue instead. The original set costed $30.00 dollars, but five copies of the prototype exist and were purchased by Lego collectors, and a rare yellow noble Ruru was also included. [1]
In 2021, a Lego City set was leaked in an advertisement from a Lego Friends instruction manual, depicting a brick building with features such as a brick-built dynamite stick prop on the top of it, as well as a cartoonish bomb print with an exaggerated facial expression to the left side. The building is assumed to be depicting a dynamite factory, with crook minifigures being seen robbing it, and a police helicopter also being included seen hovering over it. [2]
On March 23, the fan blog Brick Fanatics confirmed that after reaching out to The Lego Group for a comment, Lego had confirmed to them they had decided to cancel plans to release the set, clarifying that it went against their brand values and had also provided this statement on behalf of their decision:
"With LEGO CITY, we always aim to represent the reality of the world in a way that is fun, positive and appropriate for kids", the CITY team stated. "With this in mind, we have decided not to launch this product as we no longer feel it is in keeping with the values of the LEGO CITY brand".
— The Lego Group [3]
Sometime in early 2001, The Lego Group hired the video game development company Saffire to create a game centered around the original 2001 storyline of the Bionicle toyline, involving the Toa Mata as they fight off against Makuta's swarms of evil Rahi that threat the island of Mata Nui. The game would have each individual Toa go onto their perspective region and fight off against the enemies relating to the level. After beating the level, the Toa would progress onto the next level and would be given a new Kanohi mask to help them along on their journey. Towards the end of the level, the Toa would then have to face off against their perspective elemental monster based on their element. The game was originally meant to be released in 2001, but was pushed back to another year to 2002, before ultimately being cancelled. In 2001, the PC port was planned for release, as well as the possibility of a GameCube port early the following year before being scrapped altogether. The gameplay has been described as being in a similar style to that of The Legend of Zelda series, specifically the Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask entries of the series.
The game was also planned to have included the original orange Kanohi Mask of Time, but due to the games' cancellation, was instead released as a promotional polybag in select Walgreens stores.
TT Games created a test animation featuring a James Bond minifigure in 2005, along with Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. Although they hoped to produce a LEGO video game adaptation of James Bond, the release of Casino Royale dissuaded LEGO from licensing the "dark and gritty" property. [4]
The test animation that was created by TT Games featured a Lara Croft minifigure (along with James Bond and Indiana Jones), since Eidos Interactive had published LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game and had a good relationship with TT Games. However, TT Games did not feel that a standalone LEGO Tomb Raider game would not be justified, so they approached Lucasfilm with the proposal of a crossover game starring Lara Croft and Indiana Jones. Lucasfilm immediately shot down the concept due to perceiving Tomb Raider as having "stolen" ideas from Indiana Jones. [5] LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures was ultimately released without any representation from Tomb Raider.
Following the sponsored Lego Hero Factory: Breakout event, the Roblox Corporation and The Lego Group originally had a deal to release another Lego-tie in event on the platform later that same year, but this time, to promote the Lego Star Wars: The Clone Wars line of sets from 2012, that were directly based on the 2008 CGI-animated series of the same name.
The planned event never came to fruition and was ultimately cancelled, and went largely unnoticed for several years until assets, including character models for Darth Vader and a Clone trooper from the event, were discovered via a portfolio site created by Stephen Jobe, a 3D artist contracted by Roblox at the time. [6]
At the London Toy Fair held in January 2014 a DLC covering the events of the final film in The Hobbit series, was reported to be released around the time of the film at the end of that year. [7] Ultimately, no DLC was released. Over a year later, in a correspondence with GameSpot it was revealed that, despite no actual cancellation of the DLC, there were no longer any plans to adapt the film as a DLC, nor to adapt it as another game. [8] [9]
In 2009, Universal Home Entertainment released a CGI-animated direct-to-video film, titled Bionicle: The Legend Reborn .
Not much info has been revealed about the sequel, but a general idea of the film's plot through the first draft was posted on the unofficial Bionicle community site BZPower in a blog post by Greg Farshtey (who went under the name GregF on fan-sites), the story writer for the series. [10]
In 2012, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Universal were trying to sign a deal with The Lego Group to acquire the film rights for a live-action film based on the Hero Factory toyline. Michael Finch and Alex Litvak were said to have wrote the film, while Mark Gordon and Bryan Zuriff of The Mark Gordon Company were set to produce alongside Ben Forkner and Dean Schnider of Film 360. [11]
In March 2015, Warner Bros. announced that a third Lego Movie spin-off, titled The Billion Brick Race was in development. Jason Segel and Drew Pearce were signed on to co-direct and write the film. By August 2017, Jorge R. Gutierrez signed on as director, with Pearce stepping down. At that time, the film was scheduled to be released on May 24, 2019, but in 2018, Gutierrez left the project. [12] [13] [14] Following the box office underperformance of The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part , the franchise moved to Universal Pictures in December 2019. [15] [16]
Two additional shorts based on The Lego Movie (franchise) for theatrical distribution were in production alongside The Master in 2016: Contagious directed by Patrick Osbourne, and Emmet Amuck directed by Jon Saunders and Ross Evans. Both ultimately went unreleased. [17] [18] [19]
In December 2018, Chris McKay confirmed that a sequel to The Lego Batman Movie was in development and that he would return to direct the film. [20]
Plans were to have the film be released in December 2022, but this release date was dropped, alongside the entirety of the production on the sequel due to Universal Pictures acquiring the film rights to produce full length Lego films. [21] [22]
In 2021, McKay revealed that the script was being written by Michael Waldron and Dan Harmon. It would have focused on Batman's relationship with the Justice League, particularly Superman, and the main villains would have been Lex Luthor and OMAC. [23]
This article lists notable events and releases in the history of the Lego Group.
A Lego minifigure, often simply referred to as a Lego figure or a minifig, is a small plastic articulated figurine made of special Lego bricks produced by Danish building toy manufacturer The Lego Group. They were first produced in 1978 and have been a success, with over 4 billion produced worldwide as of 2020. Minifigures are usually found within Lego sets, although they are also sold separately as collectables in blind bags, or can be custom-built in Lego stores and on lego.com. While some are named as specific characters, either licensed from already existing franchises or of Lego's own creation, many are unnamed and are designed simply to fit within a certain theme. They are highly customizable, and parts from different figures can be mixed and matched, resulting in many combinations.
Bionicle is a 2003 platform video game developed by Argonaut Games and published by Electronic Arts and Lego Interactive for GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Microsoft Windows. A port was released for Mac OS X, and a version was also developed for the Game Boy Advance. In the home console version, the player controls the Toa, elementally-powered warriors, as they traverse through levels; some levels are 3D platformers, while others utilize mechanics like snowboarding or lava surfing. The game's story, which takes creative liberties with the official Bionicle story, follows the Toa as they defend the island of Mata Nui from the return of the evil Makuta and his minions.
Lego Batman is a discontinued theme and product range of the Lego building toy, introduced in 2006, based on the superhero character Batman, under license from DC Comics. The sets feature vehicles, characters and scenes from the comics and films. The inspirations for the design of these vary widely. For example, the Batmobile retains its basic sleek shape and prominent fins from the Tim Burton films, whereas the "Bat-Tank" seems to be based on the tank-like Batmobile in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. The theme was relaunched in early 2012 as part of the Lego DC Universe Superheroes line, which is a sub-theme of the Lego Super Heroes line. In total there were 17 sets, almost all of them including Batman.
Lego Harry Potter is a Lego theme based on the film series of the same name and the eponymous novels by British author J. K. Rowling. It is licensed from Warner Bros. Lego models of important scenes, vehicles and characters were made for the first six films and all of the published books. The first sets appeared in 2001, to coincide with the release of the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Subsequent sets were released alongside the new films, until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The line then went dormant for three years, with sets being released in 2010 and 2011. In 2018, it was announced that more sets based on the Harry Potter franchise would be released, including new sets based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Lego Spider-Man is a product range of the Lego construction toy, based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. When the theme first launched in 2002, it was inspired by the Spider-Man film released the same year and was part of the Lego Studios line. Additional sets were released two years later, based on the film's sequel, Spider-Man 2. The theme was discontinued before the release of Spider-Man 3, and the rights were sold to rival Mega Brands, who entered a multi-year licensing deal with Marvel Enterprises, giving them the rights to produce playsets, vehicles, and other building-themed products based upon various Marvel characters for their Mega Bloks toys.
Lego Indiana Jones is a Lego theme based on the Indiana Jones film franchise created by George Lucas, licensed from Lucasfilm. The exclusive franchise was first announced in June 2007, and followed the successful Lego Star Wars franchise, also with Lucasfilm. The first set of products were launched in 2008, based upon two of the three earlier films. Sets featuring scenes from the fourth film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, were released alongside the film, later in 2008. The Temple of Doom film was not featured until 2009, in a large set which re-created the mine-cart chase using new narrow-gauge Lego train track.
Lego Ninjago is a Lego theme that was created in 2011 and a flagship brand of The Lego Group. It is the first theme to be based on ninja since the discontinuation of the Lego Ninja theme in 2000. It was produced to coincide with the animated television series Ninjago, which was superseded in 2023 by a new series titled Ninjago: Dragons Rising.
Lego Super Heroes is a theme and product range of the Lego construction toy, introduced in 2011, owned by The Lego Group and licensed from DC Entertainment, Marvel Entertainment, Warner Bros., The Walt Disney Company and Pixar.
Lego The Hobbit is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales. The game was released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on 8 April 2014 in North America, and 11 April in Europe. The game is a follow-up to Lego The Lord of the Rings based on the first two Hobbit films; An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug. It was released on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, OS X and Microsoft Windows.
The Lego Movie is an American media franchise based on Lego construction toys. It began with the 2014 film The Lego Movie, which was directed and written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The success of the film led to the release of two licensed video games, a 4D film theme park attraction, two spin-off films titled The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie, which were released in 2017, Unikitty! an animated television series that also came out in the same year, and the sequel to the original film titled The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part in 2019. Plans for a third spin-off film and a sequel to The Lego Batman Movie were later shelved.
Lego Bionicle: The Legend of Mata Nui is a canceled action-adventure video game developed by Saffire. Based on the Lego Group's Bionicle line of constructible action figures, the game was intended to release on Microsoft Windows computers in late 2001 and the GameCube in early 2002. The game was designed as a direct sequel to Saffire's Game Boy Advance game Lego Bionicle: Quest for the Toa, which was released in October 2001. The story of The Legend of Mata Nui was meant to serve as a conclusion to the 2001 Bionicle story arc, focusing on the Toa, heroic elemental warriors destined to defeat the evil Makuta, who is attacking the island of Mata Nui with corrupted Rahi animals.
Lego Juniors was a product range of the construction toy Lego, designed for children aged 4 to 7 years old. It acted as a transition from the Duplo to the regular Lego System. Lego Juniors initial release was on February 14, 2014, with the tagline Easy to build. It was the successor to the Bricks & More line released in 2009. Unlike its predecessor, Lego Juniors offered specialized bricks to make builds look more realistic while using fewer pieces for an easier build. The product line was discontinued by the end of 2018 and rebranded as "4+".
The Lego Movie is a Lego product line based on the 2014 film of the same name. It was licensed from The Lego Group and Warner Bros. Animation. The theme was first introduced in 2014 to coincide with the release of the film, along with The Lego Movie Video Game. Further sets were produced to coincide with the release of the second film in The Lego Movie franchise, titled The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. The product line was discontinued by the end of 2019.
The Lego Batman Movie is a discontinued product line based on The Lego Batman Movie, the second film of The Lego Movie franchise. It is licensed from The Lego Group, DC and Warner Bros. Animation Studios. The theme was first introduced in 2017 as part of a licensing and merchandising programme associated with the film. Alongside the release of the Lego sets, the programme included the release of several promotional short films and The Lego Batman Movie Game app. The product line was discontinued by the end of 2018.
The Lego Ninjago Movie was a product line based on The Lego Ninjago Movie, the third film of The Lego Movie franchise. It was licensed from The Lego Group and Warner Bros. Animation. The theme was introduced in 2017 as part of a licensing and merchandising programme associated with the film. Alongside the release of the Lego sets, the programme included the release of several promotional short films and The Lego Ninjago Movie Video Game. The product line was discontinued by the end of 2019.
Lego Jurassic World is a Lego theme based on the Jurassic World media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It is licensed from Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. The theme was introduced in June 2015, with the release of toy sets and the video game Lego Jurassic World, both to promote the film Jurassic World. Subsequent sets were released in 2018, alongside the next film, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Various animated projects have also been made, including the 2018 television special Lego Jurassic World: The Secret Exhibit, and the 2019 miniseries Lego Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar.
Lego The Lord of the Rings is a Lego theme based on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson and the novel by the English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. It is licensed from Warner Bros., New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The theme was first introduced in 2012. The first sets appeared in 2012, to coincide with a release of the video game Lego The Lord of the Rings. Subsequent sets based on The Hobbit film trilogy would also be released and the video game Lego The Hobbit was released in 2014. The product line was discontinued by the end of 2015. Later, the theme was relaunched in January 2023 with three new sets released as the part of the Lego BrickHeadz theme. In February 2023, The Lego Group unveiled a new Rivendell set that released on 8 March 2023 as the part of the Lego Icons theme.
