'Incredibles 2' Director Brad Bird Says Not To Get Your Hopes Up About 'Iron Giant 2' Or 'Ratatouille 2'

Brad Bird has a new sequel hitting theaters soon, the long-awaited Incredibles 2. That's exciting, but if you were hoping for more Bird sequels – specifically Iron Giant 2 or Ratatouille 2 – you shouldn't get your hopes up.

It took 14 years for Brad Bird to bring a sequel to The Incredibles to theaters. Since almost immediately after The Incredibles was released, fans have pined for a follow-up film. The same could perhaps be said about two other Brad Bird animated films – The Iron Giant and Ratatouille. But you shouldn't expect Bird to get around to making those movies anytime soon. In an interview with io9, the filmmaker threw cold water on the entire idea of sequels to those two movies.

"You know, I feel like that story is told," Bird said when asked about a Ratatouille follow-up, adding: "I'm told I need to do an Iron Giant 2 and I'm told I need to remake everything that I've made and no one apparently wants anything new anymore. I'm a little at odds with society on that. I would like to do some new things."

I can respect that. When it comes to Bird's Pixar films, I actually prefer Ratatouille, and I'd love to see a sequel to that film. At the same time, I also realize that there's not exactly a lot of places someone could take that story. The end of Ratatoullie wraps things up nicely, and ends on a high-note. The Iron Giant has a bit of a bittersweet ending, and while there's some room for a sequel to that, the first film is near-perfect. What more could you ask for?

Bird also said he has no interest in helming another Mission: Impossible film after directing 2011's Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. "I've done my Mission: Impossible and I've done my Iron Giant. And that's that. I'm not mad about it but it seems like it's the only thing that people want now is for you to repeat what you just did."

Lest you think Bird is just being grumpy about this entire sequel thing, he did add that he thinks it's "it's complimentary" when fans ask him about sequels, but adds: "It's a sweet thing but it's also, from an artist standpoint, it's a little frustrating. Like what if I want to do a Western? Would there be any support for that idea? What if I wanted to do a musical? How about that?"

I suppose this means you shouldn't ask him about Tomorrowland 2 anytime soon.

Incredibles 2 opens on June 15, 2018.