This is a bad news a million years in the making. Universal Pictures told 30 Dreamworks animators working on the sequel that they might have to work on something else as plans for "The Croods" 2 have been shelved.

According to Variety, Universal Pictures chair Donna Langley herself met with the employees at the DreamWorks office in Glendate to deliver the news about "The Croods 2."

The article said some of the animators, who have been working on the first film and the sequel for three and a half years now, were told that they would be transferred to other animated projects while the others might undergo further training programs.

There's no reason given why the sequel was cancelled, but there's no indication however that it's going to be permanent. "The Croods 2" might still happen, just not in the near future. There were reports that the film encountered some troubles, although the details never surfaced, which was why the release date was postponed from next year to 2018.

Variety quoted sources as saying that Universal Pictures may come off as the bad guy, but DreamWorks Animation really was not as passionate about the sequel.

This news is a bit surprising considering that the original earned $187,168,425 in the domestic market and another $400,036,243 in foreign ticket sales. Earlier reports also claimed that the original cast members such as Emma Stone, Nic Cage and Clark Duke are keen on reprising their roles.

Watch out for more "The Croods 2" news, which will be reported here when they come along.