SKREEONK!

2014 feels like an age ago.

     The world is a much different place now; especially for us giant monster fanatics. It hasn’t even been three years since the release of Legendary’s GODZILLA reboot yet here we are anticipating KONG SKULL ISLAND, GODZILLA: KING OF MONSTERS, and GODZILLA vs KONG. A lot has changed and Legendary refuses to be left behind in the ever-evolving cinemascape of “Movie-Verses”, all of their aforementioned films forming their own in the shape of a Monsterverse. Most fans, like us, are quite curious as to how this will all work out. There are slight spoilers and plenty of speculation ahead, so read on with caution.

When Godzilla returned to silver screens in 2014 fans were just hoping Hollywood would do their coveted kaiju justice this time around, let alone release a good film. But good it was, and Legendary rode the film’s success into a wave of merchandising and complete resurgence of the Big G into modern pop culture. Their success encouraged the first TOHO Godzilla film in over a decade, SHIN-GOJIRA, which proved to be both a mirror-opposite to its western counterpart and a massive success in its own right. Monster fever had gripped the world by 2016, and Legendary had already begun putting the pieces in motion to take full advantage.

Now here we are in 2017, and we have so much more to look forward to – all of it far beyond our wildest dreams or even the preemptive connecting plot points Legendary themselves established in GODZILLA. March 10th (2017) sees the release of the next Monsterverse chapter, SKULL ISLAND, which is not a sequel but a prequel to 2014’s GODZILLA. The film takes place during the 1970s, and John Goodman’s William “Bill” Randa ensures the return of Monarch, the Monsterverse‘s giant-monster-concerned government branch that serves as connective tissue for these films. KSI may even include a post-credits teaser for it’s semi-sequel, KING OF MONSTERS. This is all fantastic for us fans, but it really has some wondering:

How will the eventual GODZILLA vs KONG top what KING OF MONSTERS has in store?

We’ve yet to receive any sort of confirmation on plot, but we know that 2019’s KOM will see the addition of not only Ghidorah, but Mothra and Rodan as well to Godzilla’s roster of rebooted kaiju. Where this becomes a bit overwhelming, however, is within the Monsterverse’s full film lineup: KOM is scheduled to hit a year before GvsKong in 2020. Sure, it means Godzilla will have two films under his belt (or hide, rather) as opposed to Kong’s one going into their climactic battle – but just how climactic can it be fresh off the monstrous heels of a four-way-rumble between Japan’s four most iconic monsters of all time?

The logical move might be to have Godzilla vs Kong release in 2019, in which the two titans clash after their origin flics, fight and demolish cities – and then part ways wounded and exhausted much like the original King Kong vs Godzilla in 1962 – setting the grounds for the two monsters to come together in order to stop a much larger threat from destroying their planet in the form of Ghidorah & a sequel. It doesn’t get much more earth-shattering than ultimate-space-demon Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, right? Legendary doesn’t seem to think so, as they’re 100% banking on the pop culture mashup their Godzilla vs Kong title implies to carry the film as a climax to an entire series. Rather than having us discouraged, however, this has us excited: It means the studio has something grandiose and unexpected up their sleeve – something we fans can get genuinely excited for and curious over. The Kong we’ll see in SKULL ISLAND is confirmed to be a 100-ft juvenile, after all, perhaps we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg in regards to this new incarnation? He may truly test Godzilla’s title as King of the Monsters in his future, as he has a solid six decades to grow before confronting the big guy.

Or what if, as many are predicting, Kong and Godzilla still join forces by the time their shared “vs” film is over (a’la Batman and Superman’s recent bout)? What if Earth’s monsters only win the battle against Ghidorah in KOM, but not the war? What if the Kong who steps up to fight and eventually join Godzilla in 2020 is the beast who tips the scales? We have no idea how enormous, how powerful he will be. Regardless, that will be quite a film to behold; and only time will tell.

No matter what happens, we’re thrilled a Monsterverse is happening. All of our favorite giant monsters are in excellent hands with Legendary, and as long as they keep bringing on fresh, visionary talent such as Gareth Edwards, KSI‘s Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and G:KOM‘s Michael Dougherty, we’re definitely along for the ride.

KONG SKULL ISLAND hits theaters March 10th, 2017. Be sure to stay after the credits for a teaser for 2019’s GODZILLA: KING OF MONSTERS & 2020’s GODZILLA vs KONG.

Until then, what are your thoughts? How do you want to see it all go down? Let us know in the comments below and on our Facebook page’s daily discussion. We’ll have all the latest Monsterverse news for you there and on our Monsterverse Page.

Stay tuned and get excited!

Jon D. B.