You might not have noticed it at the time, but Gareth Edwards' relaunch of the Godzilla franchise was ALSO the start of a larger Cinematic Universe. Because that's what we do nowadays. The second chapter was Kong: Skull Island, and it's all building toward a monster mashup of King Kong versus Godzilla. But before we get there, we will have Michael Dougherty's Godzilla 2. The sequel doesn't have an official title -- not according to a Warner Bros. and Legendary Picture press release -- though it does have an official plot synopsis, which reads as such:
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.
That's a lot of monsters. In fact, I thought the working title on Godzilla 2 was going to be Godzilla: King of the Monsters, though that's not anywhere on the official press release. The studios did confirm a large number of cast members, who we had reported as being in place. They include:
MonsterVerse newcomer Vera Farmiga, who is coming off of the Conjuring movies for James Wan and Warner Bros. She will be joining previous Godzilla stars...
Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins, both reprising their key roles from Gareth Edwards' Godzilla film. Though Farmiga isn't the only new face in the ensemble, as Michael Dougherty (Krampus) Has officially cast Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things, Bradley Whitford, Thomas Middleditch, Charles Dance, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Aisha Hinds and Zhang Ziyi for his anticipated sequel.
Principal photography has now begun on Godzilla 2, which is aiming to hit a March 2019 release date. As mentioned, it will lay the groundwork for a larger movie in this budding MonsterVerse created by Warner Bros. and Legendary pictures that will eventually bring King Kong into the fold. Adam Wingard (The Guest) already has signed on the dotted link for Kong vs. Godzilla, while there have been rumors of the Pacific Rim franchise also becoming a part of the MonsterVerse, in time. Let's see how Godzilla 2 does, first. We all know what happens when you put the cart before the horse... right, Dark Universe?
