Fans of Godzilla are already excited because Godzilla: King of the Monsters is almost here. The film will pit the classic movie monsters against several of his famous foes from the Japanese Toho films of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. However, King of the Monsters is designed to only be a step on the road toward the major showdown that is Godzilla Vs. Kong. That showdown is now one step closer to reality, as Adam Wingard, the director of both films, recently announced that principal photography on the monster showdown has finished filming in Australia.
Australia was the primary filming location for Godzilla Vs. Kong. It's unclear if finishing production in Australia, as Adam Wingard revealed on Instagram (via comicbook.com) means that principal photography for the entire movie is over. It's possible there is more work to be done on location elsewhere. However, with a release date for the film already set for March of 2020, production should be wrapping up very quickly if this isn't the end.
With Godzilla: King of the Monsters still not even out in theaters yet, the details of Godzilla Vs. Kong are being kept more tightly under wraps than even what we're used to seeing with most recent tent pole releases. It's very likely that knowing too much about Godzilla Vs. Kong would reveal a great deal about what is set to happen in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Godzilla Vs. Kong will bring together the version of the giant lizard monster from 2014's Godzilla and the forthcoming sequel and put him up against the version of King Kong that was introduced in 2017's Kong: Skull Island. In both sets of movies, the giant monster is mostly viewed as a hero and ally to humanity, at least as long as humanity doesn't try to kill them, so why the two will apparently be fighting, is unclear. Ultimately, fighting is what these giant monsters do and it's part of the reason that we like to watch them. The context is far less important.
The fact that Godzilla Vs. Kong went into production so soon after Godzilla: King of the Monsters wrapped certainly showed that the studio had a lot of faith in both projects. While various cinematic universes, like Universal's Dark Universe, have faltered out of the gate, this one has been a bit more successful and has continued forward. Nobody waited to be sure King of the Monsters made money before green lighting the next entry in the series.
Of course, at this point Godzilla Vs. Kong may actually be the end of the story. We don't know what the plans are for the franchise after this. That may very well come down to a question of box office. If the film is so successful that it's clear the fans want more, we may very well get it.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters will be here next month, followed by Godzilla Vs. Kong in 2020.
