"Dolphin Tale 2" theatrical poster revealed!

Dolphin Tale 2 is an upcoming family film written and directed by Charles Martin Smith and sequel to his 2011 film Dolphin Tale. Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Kris Kristofferson, Morgan Freeman, Juliana Harkavy and Austin Stowell all reprise their roles from the first film, while Lee Karlinsky, Julia Jordan, Bethany Hamilton and several others join the cast. The film is set to release on September 12, 2014

The filming began on October 7, 2013, at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida.It is due to finish filming in early January 2014 and be released on September 12, 2014. The sequel, featuring the same cast and a few additional characters, will revolve around more true stories from Clearwater Marine Aquarium, including both Winter and the baby dolphin, Hope. Winter will still be the central dolphin character in the film. Other animal characters will also return, including Rufus the Pelican. Also included, however, will be the story of the rehabilitated dolphin Mandy, a dolphin Clearwater Marine Aquarium successfully released back into the wild. Like the first film, Charles Martin Smith based his script on real events that have occurred at the aquarium. The two returning lead characters, Sawyer (Nathan Gamble) and Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff), know what it's like to lose a parent and Hope lost her mother at a young age, so they can really relate to each other. Harry Connick Jr. plays the biologist who runs the aquarium and Morgan Freeman returns as Dr.Cameron McCarthy who designed Winter's prosthetic tales in the first movie. Bethany Hamilton portrays herself in this sequel.

Although they were filming on the site, Clearwater Marine Aquarium is open on weekends to the public. Cozi Zuehlsdorff has tweeted on her Twitter account that she is excited that Bethany Hamilton has joined the "Dolphin Tale 2 family".

According to Clearwater Marine Aquarium CEO, David Yates, filming ended on January 22, 2014.