I'm Ready, I'm Ready: New SpongeBob SquarePants Movie On The Way [CinemaCon 2023]

Is this the Krusty Krab? No, this is the sound of a brand new "SpongeBob SquarePants" being announced. Paramount and Nickelodeon (like every other studio) are in the business of milking their popular franchises for all the nostalgia they're worth, and there is arguably no bigger Nickelodeon character than SpongeBob SquarePants.

Since the moment it premiered back in 1999, the animated comedy series created by Stephen Hillenburg has been the biggest show in the network's history. In fact, the character recently inspired a new character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, almost 30 years and 300 episodes later, there's as big a chance of "SpongeBob" going away and stopping as there is a chance the titular sponge stops working at the Krusty Krab.

There have been three "SpongeBob" movies, with the original "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" serving as a sort of series finale according to Hillenburg. Following his departure from the show, two new films were released, both in computer-generated animation rather than the traditional 2D style of the cartoon. It was also recently announced that Netflix would produce their own "SpongeBob" movie, this one focusing on Sandy Cheeks — the first film to center on someone other than the titular character — going to her home in Texas to see her family and also save Bikini Bottom from an evil CEO.

As if that wasn't enough, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Studios just announced a fifth "SpongeBob SquarePants" movie at this year's CinemaCon 2023. Our own Ben Pearson is on the ground reporting the latest news from the big studios, including the return of everyone's favorite fry cook to the big screen.

Of course, like many long-running franchises, "SpongeBob SquarePants" heavily declined in quality after its creator and the original group of writers and creatives started leaving the show. And yet, it continues to be hugely profitable for Nickelodeon, so it makes perfect sense that they would expand the franchise to deliver spin-offs and prequels, like "Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years" which follows 10-year-old SpongeBob at a summer camp, and "The Patrick Star Show" which is, well, rather self-explanatory — it's a talk show, starring Patrick.

While at CinemaCon, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon announced a new film, to be titled "The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants." Details are scarce, but Ben Pearson reports that the film will yet again be a live-action/animation hybrid, and in the film, SpongeBob "will face off against the notorious Flying Dutchman, who proves to be anything but a friendly ghost." Sure, why not?

"The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants" will release in theaters on May 23, 2025.