A month after Hollywood started hearing the footsteps of a giant gorilla once again, Legendary and Warner Bros. have officially announced plans to have King Kong face off against Godzilla in a new cinematic universe.
News about this surprising partnership first broke in early September, when it was first reported by Deadline that Legendary’s Thomas Tull was thinking of taking Kong: Skull Island from Universal to Warner Bros, even though he had spent months developing the movie at Universal. Then, a few days later, it was reported that Skull Island would actually help launch a monster movie trilogy that would ultimately lead to a Godzilla/King Kong mash-up.
Well, today, Warner Bros. and Legendary made this official. Kong: Skull Island will now hit theaters on March 10, 2017. Godzilla 2 will follow on June 8, 2018. And for those who really like planning ahead, Godzilla vs. Kong will hit theaters in 2020.
“Audiences really responded to Godzilla,” Tull said in a statement. “Today, I’m excited to reveal that film was only the beginning of an epic new entertainment universe. As a lifelong fan of these characters, I’ve always wanted to see the ultimate showdown, and today we’re pleased to be announcing that and more.”
Tull also said that his company has acquired the rights to use other monsters from the Toho Godzilla universe, like Rodan and Mothra.
This deal seemed impossible a few months ago because Legendary is currently working with Universal after being at Warner Bros. for several years. But it was reported that there was a rift growing between Tull and Universal. One thing that really irked Universal about Skull Island was that scripts referenced Monarch, a company from Godzilla. The studio really didn’t want the public to think its movie would be linked to a rival’s franchise.
Legendary and Warner Bros. did cement the cast and crew for Skull Island. It is being directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and stars Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, Tian Jing, John Goodman, Corey Hawkins, Toby Kebbell, Jason Mitchell, John Ortiz and Shea Whigham.
Gareth Edwards is returning to direct Godzilla 2, with a script by Max Borenstein. The studios didn’t say who would direct Godzilla vs. Kong, but whoever that will be will have to figure out how to work around the height difference between Kong and Godzilla.