Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is an upcoming American monster film directed by Adam Wingard. Produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), and the seventh installment and fifth film in the MonsterVerse. It is also the 38th film of the Godzilla franchise, the 13th film in the King Kong franchise, and the fifth Godzilla film to be completely produced by an American film studio.[lower-alpha 1] The film stars Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle and Fala Chen. Hall, Henry and Hottle reprise their roles from the previous film.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Official logo
Directed byAdam Wingard
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Terry Rossio
  • Adam Wingard
  • Simon Barrett
Based on
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBen Seresin
Edited byJosh Schaeffer
Music byTom Holkenborg
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • April 12, 2024 (2024-04-12)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Due to the box office and streaming success of Godzilla vs. Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic, Legendary announced a sequel in March 2022 and that filming would commence later in the year. In May 2022, it was announced that Wingard would return to direct and Stevens cast as the lead. Filming began in July 2022 in Gold Coast, Queensland and finished in November 2022. The film is scheduled to be released on April 12, 2024.

Premise

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.

— Legendary and Warner Bros.[5]

Cast

Production

Development

In March 2019, producer Alex Garcia stated that Legendary Pictures hoped to produce more MonsterVerse films if they became successful, stating, "It's one brick at a time, each piece has to be as good as it can be, so right now it's all focused on this [Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021). But could there be? Yeah, that's the hope if the movies turn out really well."[6] In February 2021, Wingard commented on the future of the MonsterVerse, "I know where we could go potentially with future films." However, he noted that the MonsterVerse was created "to a certain degree" to lead towards Godzilla vs. Kong.[7] He added that the MonsterVerse is at a "crossroads", stating, "It's really at the point where audiences have to kind of step forward and vote for more of these things. If this movie is a success obviously they will continue forward."[8]

Godzilla vs. Kong was released on March 24, 2021 and became a box office and streaming hit during the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] The film grossed $470 million worldwide against a break-even point of $330 million,[9][10] and became the most pirated film of 2021.[11] On April 4, 2021, Legendary's CEO Josh Grode commented on potential sequels, "we have a number of ideas for more movies."[12] That same day, the hashtag #ContinueTheMonsterVerse began trending on Twitter, which was acknowledged by Legendary and garnered support from Jordan Vogt-Roberts, director of Kong: Skull Island (2017).[13][14] On April 27, 2021, The Hollywood Reporter stated that Legendary was "quietly taking steps to stretch the series into one or more installments," while negotiating with Wingard to potentially return to direct. Various ideas were considered, with Son of Kong being one potential title.[15] In August 2021, MonsterVerse writer Max Borenstein stated that "there will be some new, interesting installments coming" due to the success of Godzilla vs. Kong.[16]

On March 20, 2022, it was announced that a sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong was scheduled to commence filming later in the year in Gold Coast, Queensland and other locations in South East Queensland.[17] In May 2022, it was announced that Wingard would return to direct and that Dan Stevens had been cast in the lead. Wingard and Stevens had previously worked together on The Guest (2014).[18] On May 19, 2022, Production Weekly reported that the film's working title is Origins.[19] On June 30, 2022, it was revealed that Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric McLeod, Brian Rogers, Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni would return to produce.[20][21] On July 1, 2022, Toho Co., Ltd. confirmed that the film would feature Godzilla.[22]

Casting

In August 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary announced a new synopsis and that Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry and Kaylee Hottle would reprise their roles from Godzilla vs Kong while Fala Chen, Alex Ferns and Rachel House would join the cast as well, Millie Bobby Brown who appeared Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs Kong didn't reprise her role due to her work The Electric State. It was also revealed that Wingard would collaborate once more with production designer Tom Hammock, editor Josh Schaeffer, composer Tom Holkenborg, and that Terry Rossio had returned to write the script with Jeremy Slater and Wingard's frequent collaborator Simon Barrett.[5][23] Ultimately, Rossio, Barrett, and Slater received "screenplay by" credit, while Rossio, Wingard, and Barrett received "story by" credit; Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields, both of whom co-wrote Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong, shared off-screen "additional literary material" credit with James Ashcroft, Eli Kent, and Nicole Perlman.[24][25]

Filming

Principal photography commenced in Gold Coast, Queensland, on July 29, 2022.[26] At the start of production, Ben Seresin was confirmed to have returned as director of photography.[27] In November 2022, it was reported that filming had finished in Australia and that crew gear revealed the film's potential title, at the time, as Godzilla and Kong.[28]

Music

In August 2022, Tom Holkenborg was announced to return to compose the film's score, after previously doing so for Godzilla vs. Kong.[29]

Release

Marketing

The marketing campaign began in April 2023 when Legendary released a teaser trailer unveiling the film's official title.[30] Later in September, a banner, teasing a potential team-up, was displayed at the North American International Toy Fair in New York.[31]

Theatrical

The film is scheduled to be theatrically released on April 12, 2024.[32] It was previously slated for a March 15, 2024 release.[20]

Notes
  1. The American releases of Godzilla (Godzilla, King of the Monsters!), King Kong vs. Godzilla and The Return of Godzilla (Godzilla 1985) featured additional footage produced by independent Hollywood studios. The footage featured Western actors and merged it with the original Japanese footage in order to appeal to American audiences.[2] Invasion of Astro-Monster was the first Godzilla film to be co-produced between a Japanese studio (Toho) and an American studio (UPA).[3][4] The first Godzilla film to be completely produced by a Hollywood studio was TriStar's Godzilla (1998).

References
  1. "ゴジラ×コング ザ・ニュー・エンパイア（原題）". Eiga.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  2. Kalat 2010, p. 25.
  3. Ryfle 1998, p. 121.
  4. Kalat 2010, p. 84.
  5. Vitto Oddo, Marco (August 25, 2022). "'Godzilla vs. Kong 2' Synopsis Reveals New Details About Monsterverse Sequel". Collider. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  6. Mirjahangir 2019, 21:30.
  7. Goldberg, Matt (February 22, 2021). "'Godzilla vs. Kong' Director Adam Wingard on Avoiding an Issue He Had with 'Batman v Superman'". Collider. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  8. Millican, Josh (March 22, 2021). "Exclusive: Godzilla vs. Kong Director Adam Wingard Explains Why No Post-Credits Scene". Dread Central. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  9. Rubin, Rebecca (April 5, 2021). "'Godzilla vs. Kong' Is a Box Office and HBO Max Hit. Will It Shake Up the Future of Moviegoing?". Variety. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  10. "Godzilla vs. Kong". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  11. Ortiz, Andi (January 26, 2022). "'Zack Snyder's Justice League,' 'Black Widow' Among 2021's Most Pirated Movies". TheWrap. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  12. D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 4, 2021). "'Godzilla Vs. Kong' Propels Domestic Box Office Out Of Pandemic Depression With $48.5M 5-Day Opening". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  13. Barsanti, Sam (April 4, 2021). "Godzilla Vs. Kong fans adopt Snyder Cut tactics to try and get a sequel, and it might be working". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  14. Valdez, Nick (April 5, 2021). "Kong: Skull Island Director Backs 'Continue the MonsterVerse' Movement". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  15. Kit, Borys (April 27, 2021). "'Godzilla vs. Kong' Director Adam Wingard In Talks for Legendary's Next MonsterVerse Film (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  16. Hermanns, Grant (August 3, 2021). "Godzilla vs Kong Writer Teases Future MonsterVerse Movies". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  17. Tulich, Katherine (March 20, 2022). "'Godzilla vs. Kong' Sequel to Film in Australia". Variety. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  18. Kroll, Justin (May 12, 2022). "Godzilla vs. Kong 2: Dan Stevens Reunites With The Guest Director Adam Wingard On Legendary Sequel". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  19. Production Weekly 2022, p. 40.
  20. Chitwood, Adam (June 30, 2022). "'Godzilla vs. Kong' Sequel Gets 2024 Release Date; 'Dune 2' Pushed to November 2023". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  22. "Godzilla vs. Kong Sequel Announcement". Godzilla.com. Toho. July 1, 2022. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  23. Parlevliet, Mirko (August 25, 2022). "Godzilla vs Kong Sequel Starts Filming". Vital Thrills. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  24. "Origins". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  25. "Why Millie Bobby Brown Is Not Returning For Godzilla vs Kong 2". February 9, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  26. Paz, Maggie Dela (July 29, 2022). "Legendary's Godzilla vs. Kong Sequel Begins Production in Australia". Comingsoon.net. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  27. Nash, Anthony (August 2, 2022). "Godzilla vs. Kong Sequel Gets Working Title". Comingsoon.net. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  28. Jackson, James; Whitbrook, Gordon (November 11, 2022). "The Next Godzilla Movie Has an Unsurprising Title". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  29. "Tom Holkenborg to Return for Adam Wingard's 'Godzilla vs. Kong' Sequel". Film Music Reporter. August 25, 2022. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  30. Tangcay, Jazz; Flam, Charna (April 19, 2023). "'Godzilla x Kong' Sequel Gets New Title – Film News in Brief". Variety. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  31. Valle, Ali (October 1, 2023). "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire's Latest Poster Unveils a Monumental Kaiju Alliance". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  32. Treese, Tyler (August 24, 2023). "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Release Date Pushed Back". Comingsoon.net. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.

Sources
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