Late last month, it was reported by several news outlets that Mel Gibson's role as Rocky the Rooster was likely to be recast for Aardman Animation's upcoming CHICKEN RUN sequel. Word of Gibson possibly being excused from the project arrived shortly after actress Winona Ryder recanted a 1995 encounter she allegedly had with Gibson, in which she said the actor referred to her as a Jewish "over dodger." Shortly thereafter, a representative of Gibson's had denied Ryder's claim, saying "This is 100% untrue." The rep then added, “She lied about it over a decade ago, when she talked to the press, and she’s lying about it now.” Now, as part of an effort to clear the air, Variety has revealed that the reason Gibson is not involved in CHICKEN RUN 2 is that his role is being recast.
The way Variety tells it, the real reason why Gibson won't be a part of Aardman's new film is that the plot of the sequel will revolve around younger chickens, which will require the hiring of younger voice actors. While Aardman has yet to release an official statement on the matter, a person close to the film's production says that Gibson was informed about the direction of the sequel long before Ryder's comments had started making the rounds.
There you have it, folks, a little clarification to add to your Friday news feed.
According to reports, Aardman's CHICKEN RUN sequel will arrive via Netflix, and will once again center around Ginger (Julia Sawalha), now living in a human-free chicken paradise. There, Ginger and Rocky (originally Mel Gibson) hatch an egg together and daughter Molly is born. The girl grows up quickly, “as children do,” and Molly begins to outgrow the island. At the same time, rumors start to float that a new and terrible threat on the mainland, forcing Ginger to rally her troops and put their hard-won freedom at risk for the good of all chicken-kind.
Based on the description above, I fail to see how the movie will revolve around younger chickens, but what the hell do I know? The release of Aardman's next Chicken Run film is still a ways away, so perhaps all will become clear the closer we get to the project's release. As a major fan of the original, I am eager to discover exactly what Aardman has cooking in the oven for this anticipated release.