ST. PETERSBURG — Winter, Hazel, Sawyer, and Dr. Clay Haskett will ride the Dolphin Tale wave again.
The sequel to the popular, locally-filmed 2011 movie will arrive in theaters on Sept. 19, 2014.
Warner Bros. will make Dolphin Tale 2 and continue the real story of Winter’s rise at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
The story of the injured sea creature’s rehabilitation is in preproduction with the group behind the first movie, Alcon Entertainment.
The director of the first movie, Charles Martin Smith, will be at the helm again.
Cast and crew from the new movie should arrive in Pinellas County, especially the aquarium, later this year.
The stars from the original movie are expected to return.
Harry Connick, Jr., Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Kris Kristofferson, Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Nathan Gamble appeared in Dolphin Tale.
Winter was rescued in 2005. She lost her tale and soon received a prosthetic at the aquarium.
Dolphin Tale 2 centers around Hope, an injured dolphin rescued near the lagoon where crews freed Winter from a crab trap.
Hope recovered and now lives at the aquarium with Winter.
Panama, an older dolphin at the facility, acts as a surrogate parent to both dolphins.
Dolphin Tale’s debuted in the number three spot on its opening weekend, behind a re-released The Lion King and Moneyball.
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