'Puss In Boots 2' To Be Directed By 'Spider-Verse' Co-Director Bob Persichetti

Bob Persichetti is having a good week. It began by winning an Oscar on Sunday night for co-directing Sony's spectacular Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and now word has arrived that he's already found his next directing gig. Persichetti will direct Puss in Boots 2 for DreamWorks Animation, a long-brewing sequel to the 2011 animated hit that was a spin-off of the Shrek movies.Deadline brings word about the director's newest gig as he picks up this franchise and wipes off the dust that's been gathering for years. This iteration of Puss in Boots first appeared in 2004's Shrek 2, before going on to appear in every subsequent Shrek sequel and proving popular enough to not only earn his own spin-off prequel movie, but to launch an animated television show on Netflix. The first Puss in Boots movie earned almost $555 million worldwide back in 2011, and talk of a sequel has been fairly steady ever since – now it seems like one will finally get underway.

This won't be Persichetti's first time playing in this particular litter box...er, sandbox. No hard feelings with that little joke, either: the first Puss in Boots movie is surprisingly fun, and Persichetti served as the Head of Story and voiced the character of "Ohhh Cat" in it.

We don't have official confirmation yet that Antonio Banderas will be returning to reprise his title role as the swashbuckling feline, but a previous report indicated that Illumination Entertainment's Chris Meledandri, who is watching over this sequel, wants them to return. That may mean we could also hear more from Banderas's Desperado co-star Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws and Zach Galifianakis as Humpty Dumpty.

Persichetti made his directorial debut on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but he's a longtime animation veteran with credits on Hercules, Tarzan, Mulan, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and many more. He also co-wrote the screenplay for the underseen 2015 movie The Little Prince. Latifa Ouaou, who produced the first Puss in Boots, is overseeing this sequel and will serve as a bridge between DreamWorks Animation and Illumination Entertainment.

No release date is in place yet for Puss in Boots 2, but if you're looking for more from Persichetti, we have plenty of pieces you can check out. Earlier today we published an interview with him, and we have a couple more pieces from Spider-Verse's time on the promotional circuit that give insight into how Persichetti and his fellow filmmakers brought that incredible movie to life.