While the 2014 Godzilla reboot saw the eponymous beast going against the brand-new MUTOs, this year’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters had the reptile colliding with some familiar faces: Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah, who, like Godzilla, are Toho creations that have been around for decades.
Next year will see Godzilla and King Kong fighting in, well, Godzilla vs. Kong, but no plans for the MonsterVerse beyond that have been announced. That said, Toho’s head of project management, Akito Takahashi, believes that a future Godzilla movie will utilize more classic creatures from the Toho library, and he already has one in mind. Takahashi said:
I do believe that mechanism Godzilla has a huge impact and fanbase, and that was probably something that might be coming in the future. Personally, I love the Jaeger, so I personally hope we can see him in the movies. It’s a minority character, not many people know him.
If you’re unclear what Akito Takahashi means by the “Jaeger” during is interview with Inverse, he’s referring to Mechagodzilla, a robotic adversary that debuted in 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Although he was initially depicted as an extraterrestrial foe, Mechagodzilla is usually a manmade weapon used to defend Japan from Godzilla.
Thus far Mechagodzilla has appeared in eight movies, which includes cameoing in Ready Player One. However, the robot has yet to have a prominent role in an American production, so using him is one of the ways you can raise the stakes post-Godzilla vs. Kong. Perhaps Akito Takahashi’s wish will be granted.
But Mechagodzilla is just the tip of the iceberg. For instance, did you know there’s also a Spacegodzilla and a Godzilla Junior? Other monsters from the Toho library range from the dinosaur-like Baragon to Hedorah the smog monster. There’s no shortage of existing creatures to be tossed in alongside ones we’ve already met and the ones created specifically for the MonsterVerse.
For now, it’s unclear what the future of the MonsterVerse looks like after Godzilla vs. Kong, if there is one at all. Godzilla: King of the Monsters was met with mixed-to-negative reviews and it only made close to $385 million worldwide on a budget of $170-200 million. If Godzilla vs. Kong performs similarly, perhaps Warner Bros and Toho won’t want to continue the franchise.
In any case, along with the brawl between the iconic reptile and gorilla, Godzilla vs. Kong will also see the scientific organization Monarch learning more about the origin of the Titans and a conspiracy to wipe these monsters off the face of the Earth being uncovered. The cast includes Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Alexander Skarsgard, Brian Tyree Henry, Rebecca Hall, Eiza González, Julian Dennison and many more.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters has wrapped up its theatrical run, but it’ll be available on Digital HD starting August 6, and the Blu-ray and DVD copies hit shelves on August 27. Godzilla vs. Kong opens in theaters on March 13, 2020 (for now).
