Peter Rabbit 2 - What We Know So Far

In 2018, the bright minds at Sony greenlit a live-action adaptation of the classic British children's book series, "Peter Rabbit." And while the film achieved a great amount of success, scoring a whopping $25 million in its opening weekend, it received some rather mixed reception from fans and critics. As it stands, the movie has a mere 63% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, with an even lower audience score of 56%.

Despite this, the movie's financial success proved to be enough incentive for the folks behind the scenes to greenlight a sequel two years later. Retaining much of the first film's star-studded cast and boasting more of its controversial brand of comedy, "Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway" was set to come out way back in 2020. The film was delayed until its recent release in Australian and UK theaters in March and May respectively (via Deadline). Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for American theaters. With that in mind, here's what we know about "Peter Rabbit 2's" upcoming American release.

Like many movies that were set to release in 2020, "Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway" suffered from numerous pandemic-related delays. The original premiere date for the film was set for March 27, 2020 according to The Hollywood Reporter. However, the COVID-19 pandemic swiftly disrupted that plan, and Sony Pictures Releasing was forced to delay the film until August 7. Unfortunately, this was not the last of the film's delays. The film is currently set to release in America on June 18 (via Deadline).

Thankfully, American fans can be certain on this release date "Peter Rabbit 2." Despite suffering so many delays, the film has already been released in theaters across Australia and the UK. Unfortunately, the United States has been left woefully behind the curve in this regard. Regardless, assuming all goes as planned, "Peter Rabbit 2" will return to his burrow in America this summer.

Reprising the role of the eponymous Peter Rabbit is English actor, comedian, and late night host James Corden. Though initial responses to Corden's performance were deeply critical — with one Metro writer accusing Corden of "phoning it in" — the success of the first "Peter Rabbit ” ensured his return. Meanwhile, Corden's co-stars (both live-action and voice acted) are set to return as well after receiving more neutral criticism by reviewers. This includes the likes of Domhnall Gleeson as Thomas McGregor, Rose Byrne as Bea, and Margot Robbie and Elizabeth Debicki as Flopsy and Mopsy respectively. Additionally, there are several casting changes throughout "Peter Rabbit 2," the foremost of which is the replacement of Daisy Ridley of "Star Wars" fame with that of Aimee Horne as Cottontail (via IMDb).

Furthermore, "Peter Rabbit 2" will see new additions to its cast. The character of Barnabas, an older rabbit who claims to be friends with Peter's deceased father, is set to be portrayed by Lennie James. James is most well known for his role as Morgan Jones on AMC's "The Walking Dead" series.

In the events of the first "Peter Rabbit," Peter establishes a peace treaty with Thomas McGregor for the sake of the latter's relationship with Bea. Some years later, McGregor, Bea, and the rabbits live in a sort of tentative family group after the two humans of the group gear up to get married. As the trailer reveals, Peter has not ceased his food-thieving antics in the wake of the wedding, and involves some of the other animals in a high-stakes heist at a nearby farmers market. When the heist goes awry and several of the animals are captured, Peter enlists the help of McGregor and Bea to find and rescue their lost friends.

At the same time, Peter is continually ostracized for his misbehavior. Bea is pressured by publishers into portraying Peter as an outright villain in her new book series based on the rabbit, though the real rabbit has been doing his best to be on the up-and-up. This is exacerbated when, during his journey, he encounters another ruffian rabbit named Barnabas. The older rabbit, who claims to be an old friend of Peter's father, encourages bad behavior from Peter.