It was my understanding that they were going to release the first sequel, then the animated thingy, then the second sequel (I.E. the third installment in the trilogy). I think they are just filming them all at the same time, so they can start coming out with trailers now.
Nick, sorry, man, but you are so wrong. I completely disagree. What was great about the movie was not just the special effects, but the fact that they built it into a superb (albeit simple) story. And, WRT its simplicity -- what's wrong with that? Anyone here not like the original Star Wars? It was just a story of good vs. evil, and a damsel in distress, what's the big deal? The big deal was, it was extremely well done. Ditto Matrix.
Yes, the special effects were cool, but the coolest thing about them is that they came out of the film, not the other way around. It was still story first. They had to invent those special effects, because they were trying to convey a very specific vision (comic book come to life), and had to pack a lot of visual imagery that happened in a very short amount of time, but still make it all discernable. It made every other highly-loaded-with-special-effects film that was coming out pale in comparison (Twister, Dante's Peak, etc.).
Sorry. End rant.