Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Directed by Michael Dougherty
Produced by
Written by
Based on Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah
by Toho
Starring
Music by Bear McCreary
Cinematography Lawrence Sher
Edited by
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • May 31, 2019 (2019-05-31) (United States)
Country United States
Language English

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (also known as Godzilla II: King of the Monsters in some markets)[1] is an upcoming American monster film directed and co-written by Michael Dougherty. It is a sequel to Godzilla (2014) and will be the 35th film in the Godzilla franchise, the third film in Legendary's MonsterVerse, and the third Godzilla film to be completely produced by a Hollywood studio. The film stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ken Watanabe, and Zhang Ziyi.

The sequel was green-lit during the opening weekend of Godzilla, with original director Gareth Edwards expected to return. After Edwards left the project in May 2016, Dougherty, who had been hired in October 2016 to re-write the script with Zach Shields, was announced as the director in January 2017. Principal photography began in June 2017 in Atlanta and ended in September 2017. This was Yoshimitsu Banno's last film as executive producer, who died on May 7, 2017.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 31, 2019, in 2D, 3D, Dolby Cinema and IMAX.

Premise

"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."

— Legendary and Warner Bros.[2]

Cast

Emma's ex-husband. He joins a rescue mission along with Dr. Serizawa and Dr. Graham to save Emma and Madison.[4]
A paleobiologist working for Monarch who is kidnapped, along with her daughter Madison, by a "mysterious organization, with their own plans for the creatures."[4] Farmiga has described her character as being a "DJ for the monsters", stating, "She has figured out a way to communicate with the creatures and potentially control them using their bioacoustics on a sonar level." She described the film being about "saving the environment."[5]
The daughter of Emma and Mark Russell. She is kidnapped, along with her mother.[4]
A scientist working for Monarch.
A scientist working for Monarch as Serizawa's right-hand.
The communications liaison between Monarch and the U.S. government.
A chief warrant officer who's a part of the special military forces group run by Monarch called the G-Team, and leads soldiers in battles involving Titans.

Additionally, Anthony Ramos portrays Corporal Martinez, and Jonathan Howard portrays Asher, while Aisha Hinds, Elizabeth Ludlow and Randy Havens appear in undisclosed roles. Jason Liles, Alan Maxson and Richard Dorton portray the heads of King Ghidorah via performance capture.

Production

Production credits[2][8]

  • Michael Dougherty – director, co-writer
  • Zach Shields – co-writer, executive producer
  • Barry H. Waldman – executive producer
  • Dan Lin – executive producer
  • Roy Lee – executive producer
  • Yoshimitsu Banno – executive producer (posthumous)
  • Kenji Okuhira – executive producer
  • Alexandra Mendes – co-producer
  • Jay Ashenfelter – co-producer
  • Scott Chambliss – production designer
  • Louise Mingenbach – costume designer
  • Guillaume Rocheron – VFX supervisor
  • Tom Woodruff Jr. – effects and creature designer

Development

Gareth Edwards, the director of 2014's Godzilla, stated that he wanted Godzilla to work as a standalone film with a definitive ending, and he opposed suggestions that the ending should leave the film open for a sequel. He said that he had no problem coming back to do a sequel if the film did well, but his main concern was delivering a satisfying experience with the current film, "I want a story that begins and ends, and you leave on a high note. That's all we cared about when we were making this; just this film. If this film is good, the others can come, but let's just pay attention to this and not get sidetracked by other things."[9]

After a successful opening of $103 million internationally, Legendary green-lit the Godzilla sequel[10] with plans to produce a trilogy and Edwards attached to direct.[11] At the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2014, Legendary confirmed that they had acquired the rights to Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah from Toho. A short teaser clip showing concept art of all three with the ending tagline "Let them fight" was shown. Other details of their appearances in either of the two sequels were not announced.[12]

In the fall of 2014, Legendary announced that the sequel would be released on June 8, 2018,[13] and that writer Max Borenstein would return to write the screenplay.[14] In April 2015, Aaron Taylor-Johnson stated that he was unsure if he would reprise his role for the sequel and that his return depended on Edwards' decision.[15]

In October 2015, Legendary announced plans to unite Godzilla and King Kong in a film titled Godzilla vs. Kong, set for a 2020 release date. Legendary plans to create a shared cinematic franchise "centered around Monarch" that "brings together Godzilla and ... King Kong in an ecosystem of other giant super-species, both classic and new." While Legendary will maintain its home at Universal Pictures, it will continue to collaborate with Warner Bros. for the franchise.[16]

In May 2016, Warner Bros. announced that Godzilla 2 would be pushed back from its original June 2018 release date to March 22, 2019.[17] That same month, Warner Bros. revealed that Edwards had left the sequel to work on smaller scale projects.[18] Edwards also felt that Legendary "needed to get on with things" instead of waiting for him to finish work on Rogue One.[19]

In October 2016, it was revealed that Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields (both of whom worked on Krampus) would write the screenplay for Godzilla 2.[20] A day later, it was reported that Dougherty was also in negotiations to direct Godzilla 2.[21] That same month, Legendary announced that production would also take place at parent company Wanda's Qingdao Movie Metropolis facility in Qingdao, China, along with Pacific Rim Uprising.[22]

In December 2016, Legendary revealed that the official title for Godzilla 2 would be Godzilla: King of the Monsters.[23][24] In early January 2017, Dougherty was officially confirmed as the director.[25] Dougherty described the film as:

"The world is reacting to Godzilla in the same way we would react to any other terrifying incident, in that we are overreacting, but there's paranoia and endless speculation about whether he is the only one out there or whether we're threatened by others like his kind."[4]

Writing

In September 2014, it was revealed that Max Borenstein would return to write the script.[14] Borenstein later spoke about the sequel, stating, "The response to the first film was really exciting, but now that that world is established, we can do bigger and even better things."[26] While promoting Kong: Skull Island, Borenstein mentioned that one thing he aimed to do in the Godzilla sequel is make Godzilla more empathetic for the audience, referencing the end of the first film, "When [Godzilla] blows his blue flame down the throat of the other creature – a creature we never empathized with in any way – we're empathizing with Godzilla. That's the thing about the movie that I'm most proud of, and I think Gareth did an amazing job pulling that off. I think that's what sets up our Godzilla franchise in a way that the second Godzilla movie can pick up on to begin to make Godzilla a more relatable, emphatic figure. But it needed that groundwork because you don't immediately invest emotionally in something that looks like a giant dragon or lizard."[27]

Pre-production

In late January 2017, Millie Bobby Brown was the first to be cast for the film, marking it her feature film debut.[28] In February 2017, Kyle Chandler[29] and Vera Farmiga[30] were cast as the parents to Brown's character. In March 2017, it was reported that O'Shea Jackson Jr. was in talks for a role in the film.[31] In April 2017, Aisha Hinds was confirmed to join the cast of the film.[32]

In May 2017, Anthony Ramos,[33] Randy Havens,[34] Thomas Middleditch,[35] and Charles Dance were added to the cast, and Sally Hawkins was confirmed to return.[36] At the time, Ken Watanabe was named but not yet been confirmed to return[31] but later, a press release confirmed Watanabe's return for the sequel.[2] In June 2017, Bradley Whitford[37] and Zhang Ziyi were added to the cast, with the latter playing a "major role" in the MonsterVerse.[38]

In July 2017, Elizabeth Ludlow was added to the cast.[39] In April 2018, Jason Liles, Alan Maxson, and Richard Dorton were cast to provide the performance capture for the heads of King Ghidorah, with Dorton performing the left head, Liles performing the middle head, and Maxson performing the right head. Other actors will perform the body.[40][41]

Filming

Principal photography began on June 19, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia[42][43][44] under the working title Fathom.[45] Dougherty confirmed that the film would feature practical effects and creature designs by Tom Woodruff, Jr.[34] A casting call confirmed that the film will feature Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah.[46] Lawrence Sher has been confirmed as director of photography.[2] Parts of the film were shot in the Historic Center of Mexico City between August 19–22, 2017.[47] Dougherty announced the film had wrapped production on September 27, 2017.[48]

Music

On July 21, 2018, Dougherty revealed that Bear McCreary will compose the film's score, incorporating themes from Akira Ifukube's previous Godzilla scores.[49] Regarding his involvement, McCreary stated, "I am thrilled to be the composer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and honored beyond words to have the opportunity to contribute to one of cinema's longest-running musical legacies."[50] The first trailer featured a rearrangement of Claude Debussy's Clair de Lune by Michael Afanasyev for Imagine Music.[51] McCreary further expanded on his plans and involvement, stating,

"I’ve known Michael Dougherty for a long time, as we both run in the same film-nerd circles. I have always appreciated his love of film music, chatting with him for hours on end over the years about the scores we both love. I was thrilled for him when he landed the gig to direct "Godzilla," because I knew what it meant to him. When he later asked me to join the project, I was overwhelmed with excitement, and awe, grateful for the chance to join him in contributing to the legacy of our favorite monster. We knew from the beginning that we wanted to incorporate classic [Akira] Ifukube themes, and yet I think fans will be excited to hear how they have evolved. There are some fun surprises in store. Fitting the material and Michael’s visionary film, this score is the most massive I have ever written, and I can’t wait for fans to experience it!"[52]

Marketing

In June 2017, Legendary's official Twitter account for Kong: Skull Island began posting videos revealing a timeline and background information of Monarch's discoveries, which teased elements for Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong.[53] During the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, Legendary revealed an image of a stone sculpture featuring Mothra, two larvae, and an egg.[54] On July 12, 2018, two first-look images featuring Godzilla unleashing his atomic breath skyward, and Millie Bobby Brown and Vera Farmiga were released, along with a few plot details.[4] On July 18, 2018, a teaser clip was released featuring Millie Bobby Brown[55] and the viral Monarch website went live with documents providing information on the monsters.[56] On July 21, 2018, the first trailer was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con and later released online that same day.[57]

Release

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is scheduled to be released on May 31, 2019, in 2D, 3D, Dolby Cinema and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures,[58] except in Japan where the film will be distributed by Toho.[2] The film was previously scheduled to be released on June 8, 2018,[59] and on March 22, 2019.[60]

Sequels

In September 2015, Legendary moved Kong: Skull Island from Universal to Warner Bros., which sparked media speculation that Godzilla and King Kong will appear in a film together.[61][62] In October 2015, Legendary confirmed that they would unite Godzilla and King Kong in Godzilla vs. Kong, set for a May 29, 2020 release date. Legendary plans to create a shared cinematic franchise "centered around Monarch" that "brings together Godzilla and Legendary's King Kong in an ecosystem of other giant super-species, both classic and new."[16]

Godzilla vs. Kong is scheduled to follow up on May 22, 2020,[63] with Adam Wingard attached to direct the film.[64]

References

  1. ↑ Mueller, Matthew (July 24, 2018). "'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' Has a Different International Title". Comic Book Movies. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Warner Bros. Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse Kicks Into Gear as the Next Godzilla Feature Gets Underway". Warner Bros. (Press release). June 19, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Godzilla: King of the Monsters Official Photos From Warner Bros". SciFi Japan. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Collis, Clark (July 12, 2018). "Godzilla unleashes 'atomic breath' in Godzilla: King of the Monsters first look". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  5. ↑ Hermanns, Grant (July 11, 2018). "Vera Farmiga Offers Details On Godzilla: King of the Monsters Character". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  6. ↑ Leston, Ryan (June 4, 2017). "Godzilla: King of the Monsters adds Bradley Whitford". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  7. 1 2 Marks, Tom (July 21, 2018). "Godzilla: King of the Monsters Will Have Even More than the Four Monsters We Know About - Comic-Con 2018". IGN.com. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  8. ↑ Jones, Brandon (July 22, 2018) ‘Godzilla King of the Monsters’ trailer reveals the return of Mothra, Rodan, Gamera and King Ghidorah The Global Dispatch
  9. ↑ Nemiroff, Perri (March 12, 2014). "Gareth Edwards Talks 'Godzilla', Godzilla's Origins, Making Him a Character with Layers, Hints at Additional Monsters, And More". Collider.com. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  10. ↑ Busch, Anita (May 18, 2014). "'Godzilla' Sequel In The Works At Warner Bros. & Legendary". Deadline.com. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  11. ↑ Kit, Borys. "'Star Wars' Spinoff Hires 'Godzilla' Director Gareth Edwards (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  12. ↑ Wickman, Kase (July 26, 2014). "Holy Mothra: Gareth Edwards Reveals 'Godzilla 2' Monsters At Comic-Con". MTV News.
  13. ↑ Lesnick, Silas (August 14, 2014). "Godzilla 2 Stomps Into Theaters June 8, 2018". ComingSoon.net.
  14. 1 2 Fleming Jr, Mike (September 18, 2014). "'Godzilla' Sequel To Be Scripted By Max Borenstein". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  15. ↑ O'Connell, Sean (April 13, 2015). "Will Aaron Taylor-Johnson Be Back For Godzilla 2? Here's What He Says". Cinema Blend. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  16. 1 2 "Legendary and Warner Bros. Pictures Announce Cinematic Franchise Uniting Godzilla, King Kong and Other Iconic Giant Monsters". Legendary Pictures (Press release). October 14, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  17. ↑ Rahman, Abid (May 10, 2016). "Warner Bros. Moves Dates For 'Godzilla 2,' 'Godzilla vs Kong'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  18. ↑ Fleming, Jr, Mike (May 13, 2016). "Director Gareth Edwards Exits 'Godzilla 2'". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Godzilla 2 – Gareth Edwards on Why He's Not Directing the Sequel". IGN. December 5, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  20. ↑ Kroll, Justin (October 20, 2016). "Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields to Write 'Godzilla 2' for Legendary (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  21. ↑ Hayes, Britt (October 21, 2016). "Exclusive: 'Godzilla 2' May Be Helmed by 'Krampus' Director Michael Dougherty". Screen Crush. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  22. ↑ Galuppo, Mia (October 17, 2016). "Wanda Unveils Plans for $8 Billion 'Movie Metropolis,' Reveals Details About Film Incentives". The Hollywood Reporter.
  23. ↑ "Mike Dougherty Confirms the Title is Godzilla: King of "THE" Monsters". Scified. January 29, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  24. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (December 14, 2016). "Legendary Taps Herbert W. Gains As EVP Physical Production, Hires Two SVPs". Deadline. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  25. ↑ Kroll, Justin (January 23, 2017). "'Godzilla 2' Finds Director in Michael Dougherty". Variety. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  26. ↑ Trumbore, Dave (August 10, 2015). "Godzilla 2: Expect a "Bigger" and "Better" Sequel from Screenwriter Max Borenstein". Collider.com. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  27. ↑ McKittrick, Christopher (March 9, 2017). ""Every movie is its own beast." Max Borenstein on Kong: Skull Island". Creative Screenwriting. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  28. ↑ Borys, Kit (January 27, 2017). "'Stranger Things' Breakout Millie Bobby Brown Set to Star in 'Godzilla' Sequel (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  29. ↑ Kroll, Justin (February 21, 2017). "Kyle Chandler to Co-Star as Millie Bobby Brown's Dad in 'Godzilla' Sequel (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  30. ↑ Kroll, Justin (February 27, 2017). "Vera Farmiga to Star as Millie Bobby Brown's Mom in 'Godzilla' Sequel". Variety. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  31. 1 2 Kroll, Justin (March 27, 2017). "'Straight Outta Compton' Star O'Shea Jackson Jr. Eyes 'Godzilla' Sequel (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  32. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (April 18, 2017). "'Underground's Aisha Hinds Boards 'Godzilla: King Of The Monsters'". Deadline.com. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  33. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (May 1, 2017). "Anthony Ramos Books 'A Star Is Born' & 'Godzilla' Sequel". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  34. 1 2 Barkan, Jonathan (May 24, 2017). "Stranger Things' Randy Havens Has Joined Godzilla: King of the Monsters". Dread Central. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  35. ↑ Kroll, Justin (May 31, 2017). "'Silicon Valley' Star Thomas Middleditch Joins 'Godzilla' Sequel (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  36. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (May 18, 2017). "'Game Of Thrones' Alum Charles Dance Joins 'Godzilla: King Of The Monsters'". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  37. ↑ Lee, Ashley (June 2, 2017). "Bradley Whitford Joins 'Godzilla' Sequel". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  38. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (June 8, 2017). "Zhang Ziyi Comes Aboard 'Godzilla' And Beyond". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  39. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (July 10, 2017). "'Godzilla: King Of The Monsters' Adds Elizabeth Ludlow; Kevin Chapman Cast In 'Slender Man'". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  40. ↑ Verhoeven, Beatrice (April 26, 2018). "'Rampage' Breakout Star Jason Liles Joins 'Godzilla: King of Monsters' (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  41. ↑ White, James (April 26, 2018). "Rampage's Jason Liles Playing King Ghidorah In Godzilla: King Of Monsters". Empire. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  42. ↑ Moore, Debi (June 19, 2017). "Filming Kicks off for Godzilla: King of the Monsters in Georgia". Dread Central. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  43. ↑ Barton, Steve (February 13, 2017). "Godzilla: King of the Monsters Begins Production This Summer". Dread Central. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  44. ↑ "Casting call info for 'Godzilla: King of Monsters'". WXIA. May 9, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  45. ↑ Walljasper, Matt (June 28, 2017). "What's filming in Atlanta now? Avengers: Infinity War, Godzilla, The Passage, and more". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  46. ↑ Barkan, Jonathan (May 31, 2017). "These Three Kaiju Appear to Be Confirmed for Godzilla: King of the Monsters". Dread Central. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  47. ↑ "Así será el cierre vehicular por filmación de secuela de 'Godzilla'". Elfinanciero.com (in Spanish). August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  48. ↑ Stephens, David (September 27, 2017). "Godzilla 2 is Officially Done Filming". Screen Rant. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  49. ↑ Sciretta, Peter (July 21, 2018). "Bear McCreary Will Compose 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' Score, Incorporating Classic Themes [Comic-Con 2018]". Slash Film. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  50. ↑ Bear McCreary to Score Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Will Use Ifukube Themes
  51. ↑ Barder, Ollie (July 22, 2018). "What's Up With The New 'Godzilla: King Of The Monsters' Trailer Using Debussy's 'Clair De Lune'?". Forbes. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  52. ↑ Butler, Mary Anne (August 6, 2018). "Bear McCreary Talks Composing for 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters'". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  53. ↑ "Kong: Skull Island Twitter Videos Tie Into Godzilla Sequel". SciFi Japan. July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  54. ↑ "Breaking: Godzilla 2 Monsters: Our first look at Mothra". Scified. July 22, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  55. ↑ Goldberg, Matt (July 18, 2018). "'Godzilla: King of the Monsters': First Clip Has Millie Bobby Brown Trying to Reach Monarch". Collider. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  56. ↑ Shaw-Williams, Hannah (July 18, 2018). "Here's Every Hidden Secret On Godzilla 2's Viral Website". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  57. ↑ Alexander, Julia (July 21, 2018). "Godzilla: King of the Monsters Comic-Con trailer teases a kaiju-filled sequel". Polygon. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  58. ↑ Schaefer, Sandy (May 23, 2018). "Godzilla 2 & The Shining Sequel Get New Release Dates". Screen Rant. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  59. ↑ Sullivan, Kevin P. (August 14, 2014). "'Godzilla 2' Gets Release Date: 'Let Them Wait'". MTV News. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  60. ↑ McNary, Dave (May 10, 2016). "'Godzilla 2' Moved Back to 2019, 'Godzilla Vs Kong' Set for May 2020". Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  61. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (September 10, 2015). "King Kong On Move To Warner Bros, Presaging Godzilla Monster Matchup". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  62. ↑ Masters, Kim (September 16, 2015). "Hollywood Gorilla Warfare: It's Universal vs. Legendary Over 'Kong: Skull Island' (and Who Says "Thank You")". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  63. ↑ Busch, Jenna (May 3, 2017). "Godzilla vs. Kong and More Release Date Changes From Warner Bros". Coming Soon. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  64. ↑ Kit, Borys (May 30, 2017). "'Godzilla vs. Kong' Finds Its Director With Adam Wingard (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
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