'Secret Life of Pets' sequel announced for 2018

Illumination Entertainment's The Secret Life of Pets is barking up a sequel, as these pets have many more secrets to share, evidently. With the original animated movie crossing the $400 million mark at the worldwide box office Tuesday, its distributor Universal Pictures has announced that The Secret Life of Pets 2 will chase its tail into theaters on July 13, 2018 -- a date Universal had already reserved for an untitled franchise film from Illumination. Chris Renaud (Despicable Me) will return to direct from a script by original writer Brian Lynch (Minions), while Illumination's Chris Meledanadri will produce the sequel with his longtime collaborator Janet Healy. It's safe to assume that the primary voice cast, including Louis C.K., Kevin Hart and Eric Stonestreet, is expected to return. The Secret Life of Pets holds the record for the best opening for an original film, animated or otherwise, which is quite impressive. The film opens in China on Tuesday, so its box office haul is set to swell in the coming days.  The forthcoming sequel will open one week after Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp and one week before Robert Rodriguez's Alita: Battle Angel, though the animated film is obviously targeting a younger demographic.