The future of Godzilla on the big screen is a hot topic following the Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire movie's debut in theaters.
Godzilla x Kong marked the fifth movie in Warner Bros.' MonsterVerse franchise. The story brings together the two monster legends as they face other members of Kong's race and a powerful ice Titan who threatens every living being on Earth.
Per Variety, the film became available to stream on Max on July 4 after a 97-day delay. After earning over $560 million at the global box office (per Box Office Mojo), the next question is when the giant monsters will return to theaters.
Will There Be Another Godzilla Movie?
Six weeks after Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire's release in theaters (March 29), The Hollywood Reporter (THR) confirmed a new sequel was in development.
David Callaham, a writer on Marvel Studios' Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Sony Pictures' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was announced as the writer of the new movie.
Less than two weeks later, on May 21, THR further reported that the Godzilla x Kong sequel will have a new director, as Adam Wingard is not set to return to his role from the last film.
About two weeks after that news release, THR confirmed Grant Sputore to be replacing Wingard as the director of this new sequel. This will be Sputore's biggest directorial effort after working on four episodes of 2011's Castaway series and the 2019 TV movie I Am Mother.
Additionally, the Godzilla x Kong sequel was is to release on March 26, 2027, about three years after its predecessor.
What Will Happen With the MonsterVerse After Godzilla x Kong?
The MonsterVerse expanded to the small screen in November 2023 on Apple TV+ with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, most of which took place only a year in the timeline after 2014's Godzilla.
Starring Wyatt Russell and his father Kurt alongside Anna Sawai and Kiersey Clemons, the series added to the MonsterVerse legacy as the Monarch organization continued their work monitoring giant monsters like Godzilla.
Variety confirmed in April 2024 that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was renewed for a second season on Apple TV+. That renewal also came with the news that Apple had reached a deal with Legendary Pictures to produce multiple other MonsterVerse spin-offs, which are still being kept under wraps.
Speaking exclusively with The Direct in June, showrunner Chris Black teased a potential inclusion of Kong in the next season as monsters other than Godzilla enter the fold:
"In the MonsterVerse, there is a pantheon of great iconic characters. I mean, Godzilla, obviously, first and foremost, but there's Kong, Rodan Mothra, Ghidorah... We want - if we have the opportunity - to surface the whole pantheon. And I think the fact that you get to the end of the season, you get to the climax of the season finale, and you get a little taste of someone new stepping onto the stage. I don't think we would put that out there if we didn't plan to do something with it."
Kiersey Clemons then spoke on what she wants to see from her character, May, in January 2024, even teasing that "May not being likeable" in the next season:
"I would kinda like to see her even maybe have a bit of power, and maybe she misuses it. I am totally open to May not being likable. I would love to be kind of a somehow charismatic, deceitful bitch that would make me happy if that's who made the game."
Considering these updates, the MonsterVerse is far from over. The only questions now are what stories and characters will be added to the franchise.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is streaming on Max. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 1 is streaming on Apple TV+.
Read more about the MonsterVerse below:
Godzilla x Kong Box Office vs. Budget: How Much Profit Will It Make?
