Gareth Edward’s Nolanisation of the King of Monsters was many things to many people, but one of the overriding criticisms levelled at his 2014 Godzilla reboot was its crippling lack of memorable villains for the radioactive lizard to tussle with. Granted, licensing issues with Toho – the Japanese production company that holds the rights to the famed behemoth – prevented the likes of Mothra, King Ghidorah and Rodan from making an appearance, though a report brought forward by Deadline may just blow any lingering criticisms out of the water.
With Legendary on the verge of entering early production on its Kong: Skull Island prequel film, the outlet states that the studio has struck a deal with Warner Bros. as it looks to assemble all of its towering monsters for one helluva shared universe. Details are thin on the ground, though a crossover is reportedly on the cards, which would pit the gargantuan ape and the King of Monsters together for one almighty showdown. Not to disrupt the current slate, said tussle wouldn’t take place until after the release of both Kong: Skull Island and Edwards’ Godzilla 2.
[zerg]Early days, then, but there’s no doubt that news of such a shared universe is one to pique the interest of fans. At the time of writing, Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla 2 – slated for 2018 – has been put on the back burner as the director doubles down on his Star Wars Anthology film, Rogue One. It’s being scripted once again by Max Borenstein, who’s aiming for a “bigger and better” rendition of the alpha predator.
In terms of Kong: Skull Island, Legendary’s creature feature is much closer to development, having already enlisted Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston and Corey Hawkins. Yes, the prequel may have suffered a setback when both Michael Keaton and JK Simmons exited Legendary’s blockbuster before it could set sail for the primordial isle, but unconfirmed reports suggest that the studio has Samuel L. Jackson on its radar as a potential replacement.
Taking each timeline into account, Legendary and Warner Bros.’ purported showdown wouldn’t grace the silver screen until at least 2020 – if not later – but we can’t help getting excited nonetheless. Kong: Skull Island, meanwhile, is on course for a release on March 10, 2017.