Penguins of Madagascar (2014)

A direct-to-video film featuring the penguins had been in the works since 2005, when the first Madagascar film had been released, with a release date planned for 2009.[10] In March 2011, it was announced that the penguin characters would be given their own feature film, similar to the 2011 Puss in Boots movie,[11] to be directed by Simon J. Smith, the co-director of Bee Movie, produced by Lara Breay, and written by Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, the writers of DreamWorks' Megamind.[12] In July 2012, at Comic-Con, it was announced that the film, titled The Penguins of Madagascar, would be released in 2015.[13] Robert Schooley, one of the producers of The Penguins series, said that the film will be unrelated to the TV series of the same name, but he did say that could always change.[14] In September 2012, 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation announced the release date of March 27, 2015, and a new pair of writers, Michael Colton and John Aboud.[15] In August 2013, it was reported that Benedict Cumberbatch and John Malkovich joined the cast.[1]