Other than the gorgeous cinematography, uniquely stylized effects, and John C. Riley’s hilarious performance, one of the more memorable elements from Kong: Skull Island was the Skullcrawlers. The giant, ferocious reptilian monsters sure knew how to put up a fight, and as it turns out, the inspiration for creating them didn't come out of thin air.
During a recent watch party for Kong: Skull Island, Legendary Entertainment dropped some facts on the Skullcrawlers. They shared on social media that there were a number of sources that influenced their design, including the two-legged lizard from 1933's King Kong. There are also a few others that are even more surprising and kind of cool. Here’s what they said:
I don’t know about you, but the fact that they paid homage to Sachiel from Neon Genesis Evangelion, No-Face from Spirited Away, and, for me, the best of all, Cubone from Pokémon, is pretty awesome and gives me a little more appreciation for the thought put into the movie.
Unless you’ve been hibernating like Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island is part of a much larger franchise known as the MonsterVerse, which includes the recent Godzilla and Godzilla: King of Monsters films. While you don’t necessarily need to see Kong: Skull Island to understand Godzilla: King of Monsters, the two complement each other with continuity.
Like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the series crosses over characters, with the most important character so far being Dr. Houston Brooks, who was played by Corey Hawkins in Kong: Skull Island and Joe Morton in Godzilla: King of Monsters. If you recall, as a young scientist, Brooks created the “Hollow Earth” theory, an idea that many thought was crazy. With this, he sought to prove it by visiting Skull Island and, while he succeeded, he also decided to cover up his discoveries.
The MonsterVerse will eventually bring Godzilla and King Kong together in a head-to-head fight for the ages with the movie Godzilla Vs. Kong. It’s even rumored that there will be a cool callback to a fight scene that took place in the original King Kong vs. Godzilla.
This epic crossover movie is already in the homestretch of production and was originally planned to release in March, but it was pushed back to the later release date of November 20, 2020. Few details have been dropped about the project, but director Adam Wingard has had fun teasing fans with occasional tidbits.
In addition to featuring Godzilla and Kong going head to head, the film will apparently include the debut of a brand-new monster who has been teased through merchandise. Promotional materials also teased the inclusion of an iconic kaiju. Needless to say, Godzilla vs. Kong has the opportunity to expand the MonsterVerse even further and should provide the massive ape and lizard with plenty of fellow beasts.
So far, the franchise has done a decent job of building the momentum for the upcoming bout, and I, for one, am ready to see it happen. Here’s hoping the Skullcrawlers also get to see a little more screen time in the process.
