John Goodman has signed on to star in Warner Bros.' Kong: Skull Island. He is playing a character named Randa, a government official who leads an expedition, most likely to King Kong's homeland. We reported earlier this month that this movie will help set up Godzilla Vs King Kong, which doesn't have a specific release date but will hit theaters after Godzilla 2 arrives in the summer of 2018.

The story centers on a man (Tom Hiddleston) who travels with an expedition of explorers to Skull Island, the homeland of the legendary ape King Kong. According to Deadline, the story will fully immerse audiences in the mysterious and dangerous home of the king of the apes as a team of explorers ventures deep inside the treacherous, primordial island. This plot is said to honor the foundations of existing King Kong lore, but places it in an entirely new, distinct timeline. 

John Goodman joins a cast that also includes Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Wilkinson, Corey Antonio Hawkins and John C. Reilly. It isn't known how many more characters need to be cast in this upcoming action-adventure, which has already been given a March 10, 2017 release date. Production is scheduled to begin sometime this fall, but it isn't known where exactly principal photography will take place.

Jordan Vogt-Roberts is directing from a script by John Gatins and Max Borenstein, with Jurassic World writer Derek Connolly coming aboard to rewrite the script. Before he bowed out of the project, J.K. Simmons revealed that Kong: Skull Island is a period piece, with parts of the movie set in 1970s Detroit. However, this was before Derek Connolly signed on to rewrite the script, so it's possible those aspects of the story have changed.

John Goodman most recently starred in The Gambler, and he also appears in the documentary Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of The National Lampoon, which hits theaters this weekend. The actor will next be seen in Trumbo, Love the Coopers and The Cellar. What do you think about John Goodman joining the cast of Kong: Skull Island? Chime in with your thoughts below.