The trailers for the new Godzilla: King of the Monsters look amazing. But is this related to the last Godzilla movie? Or is this a standalone Godzilla film like how there have been two Jungle Book movies in the past several years? And is this the sequel hinted at in the post-credit scene of Kong: Skull Island? The ad campaign has made this all as clear as mud. so I did some research on the new movie to get some answers.
Is it a sequel to Godzilla (2014)? Yes. Even though the ads don’t hint at this AT ALL, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is indeed a sequel to the box office hit Godzilla from four years ago. My biggest clue in sussing this out was that Ken Watanabe plays the same character in both movies according to IMDB. While director Gareth Edwards had warned audiences at the time that it would take him years to make a sequel, I’m not sure anyone expected to wait four years. Or for Edwards to drop out from the series. He stepped down when he get the offer to direct Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the production for the Godzilla sequel needed to proceed without him.
Who’s directing this one? Michael Dougherty who directed Krampus and Trick ‘r Treat.
Why didn’t they call it Godzilla 2? They did. For a while. But they ultimately changed the name to the much cooler King of the Monsters. I have not been able to find an explanation why. Perhaps they did not want the baggage associated with sequels. For instance, occasionally they make less than the original. Perhaps they feel the storyline did not necessitate needing to be familiar with the first film. If I were a studio exec, I would want people to go out and buy, rent, stream the first movie. I would want that extra money coming in. But maybe they figure people will do that anyway with or without a number 2 attached to the title. With multiple monsters and a Stranger Things cast member, who needs to bank on nostalgia for the first film?
Which monsters are in this movie? Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah.
Is it a sequel to Kong: Skull Island? Yes. Sort of. It’s in the same universe. It has characters that were hinted at in a cut scene at the end of the credits for Kong: Skull Island in the style of Marvel movies. It reintroduces the Monarch organization. The main characters are told Kong is not the only monster and then shown archival footage of ancient cave drawings of Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and a battle between King Ghidorah and Godzilla . According to Wikipedia, Legendary Pictures production company and Warner Brothers have created what they are calling the Monsterverse. Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island were the first two movies in the series. Godzilla: King of the Monsters will be the third. A fourth one has been announced for 2020.
Are Godzilla and King Kong going to be in a movie together? Yes. Godzilla vs. Kong has been announced for spring of 2020. Millie Bobby Brown is returning for this movie according to IMDB.
Can it be 2020 yet? Not unless you’re a time lord. But don’t worry. There’s plenty of movie goodness to keep you occupied until then including Avengers: Endgame, Toy Story 4, Spiderman: Far From Home, Frozen 2, Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, and Bond 25. And we’ll keep you updated on all the upcoming movie awesomeness here at Meanwhile at the Multiplex!