Godzilla will roar again. Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have announced the commencement of principal photography for the second installment of Godzilla. Rebooted in 2014 – under the direction of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story helmer Gareth Edwards – the sequel is the next chapter in WB’s newly branded “MonsterVerse,” cinematic franchise that also includes this spring’s Kong: Skull Island. Along with the announcement of the start of production has come a few more hints on the upcoming feature.
For starters, there appears some ambiguity of what the film will be titled. The press announcement noted only the words Godzilla 2 instead of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the working moniker for the picture for some time now.
More importantly, we have our first impressions of the premise of the next installment. The synopsis reads, “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.”
Michael Dougherty (Krampus) is directing from screenplay he penned alongside Zach Shields. The ensemble cast includes Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring), Kyle Chandler (Carol), Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Bradley Whitford (Get Out), Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley), Charles Dance (Me Before You), O’Shea Jackson (Straight Outta Compton), Aisha Hinds (Star Trek Into Darkness) and Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Bridging a through-line from the 2014 film, Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai) and Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine) will reprise their roles in the sequel.
This feature – as was the case with Kong: Skull Island – is looking to build the stakes for WB’s developing Godzilla vs. Kong, which just brought aboard Adam Wingard (The Guest) as director.
Godzilla 2 will hit theaters on March 22, 2019.
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