The only thing Hollywood loves better than repeating itself its pitting monster against monster. With the announcement of Godzilla vs. Kong‘s working title and production start date, we get both.
Godzilla (2014) – image via Legendary
King Kong as seen in “Kong: Skull Island” {image via Legendary}
“In 2020, Godzilla will return again to face off against the mighty Kong from Legendary’s Kong: Skull Island,” Godzilla-movies.com announced.
Godzilla vs. Kong will film under the working title “APEX”, which is a rather fitting title, considering each superspecies acted as the Apex predator in their respective films – Godzilla vs. Kong will be the final match-up which decides which monster is the true King of them all. We are also thrilled to share that Godzilla vs. Kong (Apex) will begin production this October!
King Kong already fought Godzilla in 1962, in King Kong vs. Godzilla, directed by Ishir? Honda. Do they need to do it again? Or does each generation need its own monster movies?
Horror Films Reflect Our Fears
Certainly, special effects have improved drastically over the the past half-century. More important than special effects are the themes behind the movies. Monster movies are more than werewolves fighting mummies. They reflect our society, our fears, our expectations. Monster movies of the ’50s often dealt with McCarthyism or the Cold War.
“If science fiction is about science at all, it is not about abstract science, science in a vacuum. In the SF film, science is always related to society, and its positive and negative aspects are seen in light of their social effect,” said film scholar Vivian Sobchack
Horror movies are often critically dismissed and derided as pure entertainment fodder, lacking any real substance or true cinematic value. However, beneath the thrills and scares, many genre films contain meaningful subtext and relevant socio-political commentary. Directors often use horror as an allegory for what we most fear, using monsters and supernatural elements to represent even more terrifying real life horrors.
What fears will Godzilla vs. Kong reflect? What will it tell us about ourselves?
The Legendary MonsterVerse – a Franchise of Fearsome Beasts
In addition to (or instead of) social commentary, Godzilla vs. Kong is a monster movie, a knock-em, sock-em cockfight between two terrible beasts. It’s the culminating film of Legendary’s franchise the MonsterVerse starting with the 2014 reboot of Godzilla, followed by Kong: Skull Island (starring Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson), continuing with Godzilla: King of the Monsters (due to be released March 22, 2019), and finishing with Godzilla vs. Kong in 2020.
CinemaBlend asked if King Kong vs. Godzilla was a fair fight. What do you think, SCIFI.radio fans?
What Do We Know About “Godzilla vs. Kong”?
Samuel L. Jackson starred as Lt.Col. Packard in “Kong: Skull Island.” {image via Legendary}
The movie starts filming in October of 2018, and is scheduled to be released May 22, 2020. It will not be a remake of the 1962 version. The director will be Adam Wingard, who previously directed Death Note. J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5 fame is among the writing crew, as are Terry Rossio, scriptwriter of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean films, and T. S. Nowlin who wrote The Maze Runner and co-wrote Pacific Rim: Uprising.
The only actors confirmed at the moment are Ziyi Zhang and Van Marten. Zhang was in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Warrior, and House of Flying Daggers. Her character name has not been revealed yet, but she may be Dr. Chen. Van Marten generally plays cops and federal agents: Officer Copper in Black Lightning, an FBI agent in Ant-Man and the Wasp, a Sentinel Services agent in The Gifted. He plays Dr. Chen’s assistant in both Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong. The rest of the cast has not been announced yet (with filming not beginning until fall, they probably haven’t been hired yet) but we hope to see some familiar faces from the previous movies in the MonsterVerse. Will Tom Hiddleston reprise his role as Captain James Conrad?
Thus far there have been 35 Godzilla movies and 19 King Kong movies. Do you think that’s enough, or do you think we need another King Kong and Godzilla movie? Tell us your opinion in the comments section below. We want to hear from you.
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
