Frozen 2 Isn't Coming Down The Pipeline For A While

There's no denying that Frozen is a swell film. Cheeky, self-referential, and bearer of the decade's catchiest song, there really wasn't any avoiding the movie when it came out. All good things come with a sequel, as you know, and Frozen 2 has been on the horizon for what feels like years now. In March, the movie's producer Peter Del Vecho revealed to Entertainment Weekly that the second installment was already in "development." That meant, apparently, that the writers are plugging away at a script as of today. But animated movies practically have the gestation periods of cicadas. Okay, maybe less. (Cicadas hang out underground for 17 years.) But at least a few years of hard work span from concept planning to movie release. So, even with the movie "in devel0pment," it's not going to be released for a good long while.

Tuesday, Frozen 2 cast member Josh Gad confirmed this. The actor, who recently appeared in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, tweeted today an official release date for the film.

"Mark your calendars," the actor wrote, "Frozen 2 is coming NOVEMBER 27, 2019."

Gad wasn't the only one to send out an alert. BuzzFeed senior film reporter Adam Vary tweeted the entire Disney film schedule up to 2021 — on it appears the November 2019 release date for Frozen 2. Also on that list? The release date for Star Wars: Episode IX, which perhaps serves a different audience than Frozen 2. That movie will premiere in May of 2019.

November 2019 is a ways away, so it's not like we should be sitting around with bated breath. So far, all we know is that the sequel "builds on the first movie," something Del Vecho also revealed in March.

"You understand things better in the first movie after you've seen the sequel," Del Vecho added. Of course, there isn't a sequel to be seen just yet, so I guess we're stuck not fully understanding the first film.

To satisfy the Frozen itch, though, we have the upcoming Broadway show. Frozen on Broadway is set to premiere in the Spring of 2018, at least a full year before the sequel. In April, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the production had cast the two main roles: Cassie Levy will be playing Elsa and Patti Murin will be playing Anna. Levy starred in Broadway's Ghost, and Murin was the chipper cheerleader at the center of Lysistrata Jones. If even 2018 is still too far away, know this: The show will have tryouts in Denver beginning August 17.

In the meantime, apparently we'll never fully understand Frozen until November 2019, when we see its successor. Settle in, y'all — winter is coming, but not any time soon.