Production is officially underway onGodzilla 2in Atlanta, as Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have released a press release touting the full cast, synopsis, and production details for the follow-up. While previous reports pegged the movie’s title asGodzilla: King of the Monsters, this press release goes out of its way to never actually refer to the film by any title, meaning that the title might be changing (which would be a bummer). The follow-up is described as “the next chapter” in WB and Legendary’s “cinematic MonsterVerse” which includesGareth Edwards’ 2014Godzilla,Jordan Vogt-Roberts’Kong: Skull Island, and the upcomingGodzilla vs. Kong.
While Edwards was intending to directGodzilla 2, he dropped off the project a while back. Instead,Trick r TreatandKrampusfilmmakerMichael Doughertyis directing from a screenplay he co-wrote withZach Shields(Krampus).Ken WatanabeandSally Hawkinsare reprising their roles fromGodzillaalongside franchise newcomersVera Farmiga,Kyle Chandler, andStranger ThingsbreakoutMillie Bobby Brown. The official synopsis is as follows:
The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.
This sounds like an all-out monster movie withlotsof monster-on-monster action, which should satisfy fans who found Edwards’Godzillalacking in that department (though I personally found that film to be a refreshing spin on the blockbuster formula). The full cast also includesBradley Whitford,Thomas Middleditch,Charles Dance,O’Shea Jackson Jr.,Aisha Hinds, andZhang Ziyi, and I’m interested to see how the human roles relate to the ongoing monster wars that are no doubt being fought onscreen.
Dougherty’s behind-the-scenes team includesThe HangoverandWar DogscinematographerLawrence Sher, who also served as DP on some of the additional photography forGodzilla. He’s also working with production designerScott Chambliss(Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), editorRoger Barton(Transformers), and costume designerLouise Migenbach(X-Men) while Oscar-winningGodzillaandLife of PiVFX supervisorGuillaume Rocheronis also onboard.
As the third film in the MonsterVerse, this untitledGodzillasequel will be followed byGodzilla vs. Kong, which recently landedYou’re NextandBlair WitchfilmmakerAdam Wingardto direct. I’m kind of loving the choice of these genre filmmakers for the MonsterVerse movies, and I can’t wait to see what Dougherty cooks up whenGodzilla2hits theaters on June 15, 2025.
