Eiza González says her Godzilla vs. Kong character had a very different storyline originally, and just like the film, it was completely changed during production. Godzilla vs. Kong debuted in theaters in March 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, and became one of the highest-grossing movies of the year. The film was positively received by the critics as well, with praise aimed at its jaw-dropping action sequences and visual effects.
But Godzilla vs. Kong had a long road to success as earlier cuts of the film performed poorly in test screenings. Subsequently, Godzilla vs. Kong underwent significant reshoots, which changed most of the original plot and cut several characters while reducing others to cameo roles. Eiza González plays a minor antagonist in Godzilla vs. Kong who dies midway through the film. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, González talked about Godzilla vs. Kong’s drastic changes and how they affected her character.
"My role completely changed in that movie, for sure. A lot of the story got cut out and the story was completely changed, so it was a bummer because my character had a whole different storyline that went in different routes. And Jessica [Henwick] getting cut out of the movie really affected all of the other characters. But it wasn’t anything to do with Jessica’s character. It was just that the storyline changed because the movie is called Godzilla vs. Kong and it obviously has to service them. They’re the big stars. But listen, I’m just grateful that I got to do a really fun movie. So my experience was really good, but that’s just par for the course, sometimes."
"Too many human characters and not enough kaiju on kaiju mayhem," was one of the criticisms the earlier MonsterVerse films faced from fans. However, Godzilla vs. Kong had the opposite reaction, but mostly from the critics. Fans however were quite pleased with the film, as is evident from its streaming numbers and box office gross. González also revealed that Iron Fist star Jessica Henwick played a crucial role in Godzilla vs. Kong, and her character getting axed altered the course of the entire plot. Zhang Ziyi also didn’t appear in the final cut of the film, while Shun Oguri and Lance Reddick’s roles were trimmed down.
While González seems to like her character’s original arc more, she understands why the changes were made and is happy fans got to see her in a fun blockbuster like Godzilla vs. Kong. She recently starred in Michael Bay’s Ambulance and will next be leading the cast of Netflix’s The Three-Body Problem, created by David Benioff, D. B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo.
Godzilla vs. Kong 2 Is In Development And Could Feature The Son Of Kong
Godzilla vs. Kong 2 has been greenlit by Warner Bros. but it may not be a direct sequel to the 2021 film. The film is simply being called the next installment in the MonsterVerse and is reported to have the working title of Son of Kong. It may very well be a King Kong solo film, with perhaps a Godzilla cameo. The director, writers, or the cast haven’t been finalized for the film yet, but it will go on floors this year in Australia. Adam Wingard, who helmed Godzilla vs. Kong, previously confirmed that he’d be willing to return for a sequel, but sadly, he is busy with Face/Off 2.
Legendary has also announced an original Apple TV+ series featuring Godzilla and other titans. The series will focus on "one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch." Chris Black and Matt Fraction will be working on the series. No release dates have been set for either of the two projects.