After Eight Long Years, The Ultimate Superhero Trilogy Finally Gets the Green Light

So, Pixar isn’t done with the Parr family just yet. 'Incredibles 3' is officially moving forward, and it’s not just a rumor—Holly Hunter (aka Elastigirl herself) says that production is kicking off this March. If you’ve lost track, the franchise's last outing was 'Incredibles 2' in 2018, which, while pretty solid, didn’t quite recapture the magic of the original (which is one of Pixar’s all-time best, if you ask me).

Another Legacy Sequel — and This Time, Change Behind the Scenes

Pixar seems to be in ‘Sequels Are Safe’ mode these days—can’t say I blame them, considering how 'Inside Out 2' just broke box office records for the studio. That kind of cash flow probably means we’re going to be getting more familiar faces for a while, and so here comes the third ‘Incredibles’ movie.

But here’s where it gets interesting: for the first time, Brad Bird is not directing. He’s pretty much the guy who made ‘The Incredibles’ what it is, so him passing the baton is a big deal in the world of animation. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Bird's tied up with another project, 'Raygun', and just doesn’t have the open schedule. Still, he’s not leaving the Parrs totally in the dark—he’s writing the script and sticking around as producer.

So who’s taking over? That would be Peter Sohn, the guy who directed 'The Good Dinosaur' and 'Elemental.' Sohn’s Pixar background goes back a couple of decades, and Bird himself apparently mentored him along the way. Bird’s described Sohn as 'insatiably curious,' the kind of compliment you only hand out if you’re actually hoping for the best. Whether Sohn can nail what fans and Brad Bird want out of this series… well, we’ll find out soon enough.

No One—Not Even Elastigirl—Knows the Plot

If you were hoping for spoilers, sorry. Even Holly Hunter, who’s once again voicing Elastigirl, has no idea where the story's going. She summed it up pretty well herself:

'I don’t know, I never do know. I never know what the stories are of Incredibles. I go in and I record with Brad, or in this case, I don’t know if it’s going to be Brad, but I think that he’s been writing the script. So it’s very exciting.'

Good news if you like surprises. Frustrating news if you make a living scooping movie leaks.

A Quick Look Back: The First Two Movies (And Their Reception)

Just for fun, let’s see where things stand with the first two movies:

• The Incredibles (2004): IMDb 8.0, 97% on Tomatometer, 75% audience score.
• Incredibles 2 (2018): IMDb 7.5, 93% on Tomatometer, 84% audience score.

The sequel definitely wasn’t bad—numbers don't lie—but most fans will tell you it didn’t quite have that spark the original did.

What Went Wrong With ‘Incredibles 2’ (And What Pixar Needs To Fix)

Here’s a little history lesson: the first movie came out in 2004, but ‘Incredibles 2’ didn’t hit until 2018. That is a pretty epic wait for a sequel, especially given the fan demand. The real issue, though, was the last-minute shuffle at Disney. The film wasn’t even greenlit until 2014, and Brad Bird was off making 'Tomorrowland' until 2015.

Meanwhile, Disney got nervous about release dates and did a switcheroo with 'Toy Story 4,' bumping 'Incredibles 2' forward by a year—a move that left the team scrambling to finish on time. You can definitely feel those 'rushed for deadline' vibes in spots.

This time, things should be less frantic: 'Incredibles 3' isn’t expected to arrive until 2028 (yup, that’s a long runway, but it worked for 'Toy Story'). Here’s hoping Pixar gives the team room to breathe and we get a third film that doesn’t just go through the motions.

Final Thoughts

So, are you actually hyped for a third 'Incredibles'? Are you nervous with Brad Bird stepping down from directing, or does the long lead time make you hopeful? Let me know what you think below.

And if you want to revisit the first two films (or, say, try explaining them to anyone under twelve who missed the original wave), both are streaming on Disney+.