Pixar found a director for its biggest upcoming sequel, and it is not the iconic filmmaker who brought the franchise to the screen in the first place. The renowned animation studio has several big-name sequels in the works right now, with both Toy Story 5 and Inside Out 3 either outright confirmed or heavily rumored at this point; however, one of the most anticipated movies on the team's upcoming line-up is a third Incredibles movie (titled The Incredibles 3).
Months after it was first announced to be in development, it has been revealed that franchise director Brad Bird will not be in the directing chair for the upcoming Incredibles 3. Bird previously wrote and directed the first two Incredibles films but seems to have other projects on the docket, preventing him from again grabbing the wheel in the upcoming animated threequel.
The news of Bird not helming the new Pixar movie was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, as the outlet revealed that Elemental filmmaker Peter Sohn is heading up the new Incredibles movie. Bird will still be writing and producing on The Incredibles 3; however, he will step aside to let Sohn take the reins on the new project when it comes to actually directing.
The Incredibles 3 was first announced to officially be in development at D23 in August 2024, with Bird dubbed at the time as "developing" the project. Looking back now, that seems to have meant the Incredibles 1 and 2 director was writing the movie and would not be overseeing day-to-day as he had previously.
Sohn is a longtime Pixar employee, working in the art and story departments for animated mega-hits like Finding Nemo, Incredibles, and Up. The renowned animation house's 2015 feature-length directing debut was The Good Dinosaur. Nearly a decade later, he followed that up with the Academy Award-nominated Elemental in 2023.
While casting details have not been disclosed for The Incredibles 3, one can assume much of the first two films' ensemble of voice actors will be back, including Holly Hunter as Elastigirl, Craig T. Nelson as Mr. Incredible, and Samuel L. Jackson as Frozone. No specific release for the film has been announced either, as the movie seems to be early in development.
Why Is Brad Bird Not Directing The Incredibles 3?
Surely, the biggest question coming out of this news among longtime Incredibles fans will be: Why has Pixar ditched the fan-favorite director for its upcoming third entry into the animated superhero franchise?
And, honestly, it likely was not Pixar's choice. Bird may have ultimately made the call on whether he wanted to direct The Incredibles 3.
It is worth noting that Bird is still involved in the movie; he just will not be the director. Bird has penned the script for the new film and will serve as a producer, watching its production from afar instead of being in the trenches working on it every day.
Bird's biggest reason for not taking on the upcoming threequel as a director is likely due to the other projects he is currently working on.
As of writing, Bird has two major projects on the go: Ray Gunn (a new movie he is developing for Skydance and Netflix) and 1906 (a new live-action Disney movie from the renowned director).
Ray Gunn, in particular, has been a labor of love for the filmmaker. Bird has notably tried to get the project off the ground for nearly 30 years. So, when Netflix came in and offered up a $150 million production budget to make his passion project happen, it is not surprising that he would say yes and allow someone else to make the next Incredibles without him.
Ray Gunn is reportedly being planned for a 2026 release on the platform, leading the filmmaker to his next project, 1906, which is said to already be in development at the House of Mouse (read more about Disney's upcoming schedule here).
