Brad Bird is returning for Incredibles 3.
During D23 tonight, Chief Creative Officer of Pixar Pete Docter announced the third installment to an incredibly beloved franchise is in-development, and while it’s still far too early to share any more concrete details out of the announcement itself, it’s plenty exciting to know that Incredibles 3 is officially on the way. Followed by the reveal for Incredibles 3, Docter also confirmed that Brad Bird, the original writer and director of The Incredibles and Incredibles 2, is returning for the third installment. Pixar mentioned Bird is “developing” the project, but his exact role was not revealed – though given his involvement in the franchise historically, it’s likely audiences will see Bird return to the writing room and director’s chair again.
Just announced at #D23: #Incredibles3 is officially in the works at Pixar! pic.twitter.com/IZCEBFJwXs
— Pixar (@Pixar) August 10, 2024
The first two movies in the Incredibles franchise are two of Pixar’s most successful releases to date, with Incredibles 2 only recently being nudged out of the highest grossing animated feature title holder position by another Pixar movie, Inside Out 2. Both The Incredibles and Incredibles 2 starred Craig T. Nelson, Helen Hunt, Sarah Vowell, Samuel L. Jackson and Bird as the costume designer extraordinaire with a larger-than-life personality, Edna Mode. Just as it’s unclear what Bird’s precise role in Incredibles 3 will be, it’s unclear at this time who the cast for the in-development project will feature and if all, if any, of these performers will reprise their roles.
So, will Incredibles 3 continue to follow the Parr family at whatever the next stage in their lives is? While this is naturally the most likely scenario given the franchise’s central family is a large part of what has made the first two movies so profoundly loved, but ultimately The Incredibles universe still has plenty of room to explore from its actual physical settings, the characters – both super and not – audiences haven’t seen before, and plenty of narrative directions to branch into.
Of course, as Incredibles 3 is freshly announced, Pixar did not provide a release date or window for the project, and it will likely be a while before they’re ready to nail down a solid date. Meanwhile, Pixar also has Toy Story 5 on the way with a more solid release to look forward to, albeit a far-off one – June 19, 2026 – with Andrew Stanton officially back on board as the director for this installment.
