Fans of the 2012 hit animated comedy film "Hotel Transylvania" are about to get more laughs this 2017 and beyond, as the Sony Pictures Animation has confirmed a third installment of the film and a TV series in development alongside Corus Entertainment's Nelvana. Genndy Tartakovsky, who directed the first two "Hotel Transylvania" films, initially declined to pursue more iterations of the movie, but has since agreed to work on the third installment.
"I thought I was done exploring the world of 'Hotel Transylvania' after the first two films, but while I was away from the franchise finishing my TV show 'Samurai Jack,' an idea sparked that I got really excited about and made it irresistible to return and helm myself this third adventure," Tartakovsky said, as per The Hollywood Reporter. Andy Samberg, who is the voice behind the only human in the film, Johnny, had nothing but praise for Tartakovsky during his interview with Collider earlier this year, even admitting that he was a huge fan of "Samurai Jack." The "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" actor said, "Just purely from a cynical point of view, they’d be leaving so much money on the table, if they didn’t make a third one. From a creative, loving perspective, I think people just really liked it."
If sales are any indication, audiences didn't just like the film, they loved it. "Hotel Transylvania" earned a massive $358.4 million during its debut in September 2012. The film featured the voices of Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, all of which returned for the second iteration of the film in 2015. The sequel was another success for Sony Pictures Animation, earning $473 million.
Michael McCullers, who co-wrote "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" and "Austin Powers in Goldmember" with Mike Myers, is set to pen the script, while Kelly Asbury is set to direct and Michelle Murdocca is also coming back to produce. Voice stars Adam Sandler is set to reprise his role as Dracula, alongside Selena Gomez (Mavis) and Andy Samberg (Johnny).
"Hotel Transylvania 3" is set for a September 21, 2018 release.