Warner Bros. Pictures continues to expand their burgeoning MonsterVerse with Godzilla: King of the Monsters. A sequel to Gareth Edwards’ 2014 movie, Godzilla, and a follow-up to Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters sees Godzilla return to the fold along with the shadow government agency Monarch. With almost an entire slate of new characters at the helm, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the final movie that will ultimately set up Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs Kong mashup movie in 2020.

  • Release Date: May 31, 2019 Cast: Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Anthony Ramos, Thomas Middleditch, Charles Dance, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Aisha Hinds, Zhang Ziyi Director: Michael Dougherty Writers: Michael Dougherty, Zach Shields, Max Borenstein

Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins Are Returning For Godzilla 2

Godzilla: King of the Monsters features almost an entirely new cast compared to the first movie. Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins are reprising their Godzilla roles as Monarch scientists Dr. Ishiro Serizawa and Dr. Vivienne Graham, respectively. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen both aren’t returning for the sequel.

Instead, Vera Farmiga’s Dr. Emma Russell and her family - Kyle Chander’s Mark Russell and Millie Bobby Brown’s Madison Russell - will be the main characters, with Bradley Whitford as Dr. Stanton and Anthony Ramos as Colonel Martinez. Thomas Middleditch, Charles Dance, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Aisha Hinds, Zhang Ziyi are all appearing as well, most of which are associated with Monarch. However, Dance’s character currently remains undisclosed.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters also brings back a character from Kong: Skull Island, though it hasn’t been confirmed which character that is. However, considering that there were only four characters left alive at the end of Kong: Skull Island, there aren’t too many options to choose from.

Read more: Godzilla 2 Theory: Houston Brooks Is The Secret Kong Character Returning

There’s No Human Villain In Godzilla 2

There’s no human villain in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, in the traditional sense of the word. Just as with the first movie, Godzilla 2 focuses primarily on Godzilla fighting a slew of giant monsters - and those monsters are the film’s villains. So, while there will be human heroes and other characters, there won’t be a human villain. However, it’s been theorized that Charles Dance’s character is Godzilla 2’s villain, though that remains unclear.

Read more: Godzilla 2’s Plot May Be Smarter Than The Trailer Suggested

Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah Are Godzilla 2’s Monsters

Godzilla has a whole new team of monsters to take on in Godzilla 2. Instead of fighting two MUTOs, Godzilla will be facing off against ancient super-species Mothra, Rodan, and of course, King Ghidorah - Godzilla’s “ultimate nemesis,” according to the film’s official synopsis. Each monster (or Kaiju) comes back into the fold to fight for supremacy.

Read more: Godzilla 2 Images Tease New Monsters Ghidorah, Mothra, & Rodan

Godzilla & Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah Fight For Supremacy In Godzilla 2

Once again, Godzilla will be fighting giant-sized monsters. According to the official synopsis that released when Godzilla: King of the Monsters entered production, the film 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.”

While the first Godzilla movie only had Godzilla taking on MUTO, all four creatures are fighting for supremacy in the sequel, which leaves “humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.” It’s also possible that each of the monsters fight each other in different waves, and then later team-up to take on Ghidorah, who could very well be the MonsterVerse’s current king of the monsters.

Read more: Rodan May Be On Ghidorah’s Side In Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Godzilla: King of the Monster’s Trailer is Out

The first Godzilla: King of the Monsters trailer released during San Diego Comic-Con 2018, thus giving fans their first glimpse at the next chapter in Warner Bros.’ epic MonsterVerse franchise. hasn’t released yet. Given that Godzilla 2 is slated to hit theaters in May 2019, the movie’s next trailer may not release until Christmas 2018 or even when the first batch of blockbuster movies hit theaters in February and March 2019.

Read more: When Will Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ Next Trailer Release?

King of the Monsters Poster Pits Godzilla vs Ghidorah

Warner Bros. Pictures released the first Godzilla: King of the Monsters poster ahead of the movie’s first trailer debut at San Diego Comic-Con 2018. While the poster successfully teases the upcoming blockbuster movie, it focuses primarily on Godzilla vs Ghidorah, which falls in line with theories that Godzilla 2’s third act battle will be Godzilla, Mothra, and possibly Rodan against Ghidorah.

How Godzilla 2 Sets Up Godzilla vs. Kong

Until Godzilla: King of the Monsters hits theaters, it’s unclear exactly how the film will connect into Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong, which releases in May 2020. However, Godzilla 2’s first trailer and plot details hint at the world deteriorating, and that the planet’s Titans are the answer to saving Earth.

Considering that an undisclosed Kong: Skull Island character returns in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, that would be the apt way to connect the two movies and set up Godzilla vs. Kong. Furthermore, the official Godzilla vs. Kong synopsis hints at Godzilla and Kong coming to a head in the wake of monsters roaming the Earth thanks to the end of Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Read more: Godzilla Just Swam To Skull Island According To Monarch’s Website

Godzilla 2 Renames The Movie’s Monsters

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is officially known as the MonsterVerse and the creatures/beasts in the movies are all referred to as monsters. However, it was revealed in the first Godzilla 2 trailer at San Diego Comic-Con 2018 that the in-universe name for the monsters is now Titans. In the first Godzilla movie, the two creatures that Godzilla fought were known as M.U.T.O.s - an abbreviation for Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism - but that was something that was determined by the military. In Godzilla 2, it seems that Monarch is officially classifying the monsters as Titans - the original inhabitants of Earth.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Has a Viral Website

Shortly before releasing Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ trailer at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, Warner Bros. launched a viral website for the upcoming sequel: Monarch Sciences. The website allows fans to track Godzilla’s movements around the world - particularly in the Pacific Ocean, where he’s been seen circling the Pacific Rim - as well as monitor activities and research pertaining to Godzilla 2’s other monsters: Mothra, Rodan, and Ghidorah.

Read more: Here’s Every Hidden Secret On Godzilla 2’s Viral Website

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is Getting an Canon Prequel Novel

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is scheduled to get an in-canon prequel novel, titled Godzilla: Aftershock, which will bridge the gap between the 2014 Godzilla movie reboot and the 2019 sequel. It’s unclear when Aftershock will release, but Legendary Comics has announced that it will see Godzilla take on an epic foe that will rise from the depths of the ocean. A prequel comic for the first Godzilla movie hit store shelves prior to that movie’s release, though it has since been cast aside. That may not be the case with Aftershock.

Michael Dougherty Is Directing Godzilla 2

Acclaimed horror director and screenwriter Michael Dougherty (X2: X-Men United, Trick r’ Treat) took over directing duties for Godzilla 2. Gareth Edwards directed the 2014 Godzilla reboot, but he elected not to return for the sequel so that he could focus on smaller projects instead, following the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Michael Dougherty, Zach Shields, and Max Borenstein Wrote Godzilla 2’s Script

Director Michael Dougherty and his longtime producing partner, Zach Shields, are both co-writing the script alongside Max Borenstein, who officially signed on for the project back in 2014. Borenstein is the real guy behind the MonsterVerse. He not only wrote the script for Godzilla and Godzilla 2 but also co-wrote the screenplay for Kong: Skull Island. But it doesn’t seem like he will be returning to write the story for Godzilla vs. Kong. Still, he’s arguably played the biggest part in setting up the shared universe.

Read more: What the MonsterVerse Should Learn from Kong: Skull Island

Godzilla 2 Already Wrapped Production

Godzilla: King of the Monsters was first announced in summer 2014, shortly after the first movie hit theaters, but it’s been on a long road since then. Godzilla 2 was originally slated to hit theaters in June 2018 before being delayed to March 2019 (the same time-frame in which Kong: Skull Island released). But prep was already well underway, so they maintained their production schedule, generally.

The movie started filming in Atlanta, GA, in June 2017 and wrapped up shooting in late September 2017, with a handful of scenes having been filmed in Mexico City in August of that year. Although there’s more than a full-year gap between when filming concludes to when the movie releases, the crew can use that time to perfect the CGI and there will undoubtedly be at least a few weeks of typical reshoots.

Read more: Godzilla 2 Is Officially Done Filming

Godzilla 2 Features Easter Eggs To Original Films

Godzilla is an iconic Toho franchise, and each film does its part to pay homage to the past. Gareth Edwards’ 2014 film contained many easter eggs, such as Monarch being founded in the wake of a 1954 nuclear bombing which tried to kill Godzilla (the same year the first Godzilla film released). Michael Dougherty is now doing his part to honor the past in his sequel.

Read more: Godzilla 2 Features Neat Easter Egg To Original Film

More Godzilla 2 News

  • Ghidorah’s Godzilla 2 Look is Different From Classic Designs in New Image Godzilla: King of the Monsters Gets Official MPAA Rating There Are Other Monster Kings (And Queens) In Godzilla 2 Godzilla 2 Trailer Includes Thing & Exorcist Easter Eggs

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