Warner Bros. has offered exciting updates on its follow-up to 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong. The currently untitled sequel stars Dan Stevens (Legion, The Guest) in the lead, with Adam Wingard returning as director.
Godzilla vs. Kong 2 is rounding out its cast with Stevens, Fala Chen (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Alex Ferns (Chernobyl), and Rachel House (Hunt for the Wilderpeople) joining the returning cast members: Rebecca Hall (The Night House), Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta), and Kaylee Hottle (Godzilla vs. Kong). Unfortunately, there is currently no word on Alexander Skarsgård’s involvement, but considering how busy he is nowadays, and with Stevens already as the male lead, it’s unlikely he’ll return; the same goes for Millie Bobby Brown.
The official plot synopsis for Godzilla vs. Kong 2 (via Business Wire) reads:
"This latest entry follows up the explosive showdown of Godzilla vs. Kong with an all-new cinematic adventure, pitting the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence – and our own. The epic new film will delve further into the histories of these Titans, their origins and the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever."
The official plot refutes the earlier reports that the project was going to be a Son of Kong remake. It’s a bummer because that would have been a great storyline, but at least we’ll see some more titans. Adam Wingard has previously touted Destroyah and Hedorah as his favorite monsters.
Godzilla vs. Kong 2 will be written by Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean series), Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight), and Simon Barrett (You’re Next). Filming is underway on Godzilla vs. Kong 2 in Australia, and it will arrive in theaters on March 15, 2024.
WB and Legendary Keen on Expanding the MonsterVerse After Godzilla Vs. Kong’s Success
Godzilla vs. Kong was a massive box office and streaming success for Warner Bros., and it was only a matter of time before a sequel was greenlit. There was some friction between WB and Legendary Pictures over Godzilla vs. Kong’s simultaneous release date, but that's in the past now, considering the film revived the MonsterVerse, which was on shaky ground after Godzilla: King of the Monster’s underwhelming box office performance in 2019.
Godzilla vs. Kong, with its crisp runtime and focus on spectacular Kaiju-on-Kaiju fights, proved that taking itself too seriously is not the right approach for a movie featuring a giant lizard and a giant monkey battling a giant robotic lizard possessed by the spirit of an extraterrestrial three-headed dragon.
However, the original Godzilla (1954) was a masterclass in horror, tackling the theme of nuclear destruction. Gareth Edwards tried to recreate the effect with Godzilla (2014), but it came across as "boring" more than scary. Times have changed, and the titular monster not showing up in its own movie till the very end won't fly with the viewers today.
Keeping that in mind, Legendary is developing human-centric stories for the small screen. Apple TV+ has ordered an untitled live-action MonsterVerse series featuring Godzilla and other Titans. Chris Black and Matt Fraction created the show with father-son duo Kurt & Wyatt Russell set to headline. Matt Shakman (WandaVision) will direct the first two episodes.