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The cinematic rampage of the Godzilla and King Kong movies don't seem like they will stop any time soon, with multiple film and TV projects in the works for the two storied franchises. The two titans are set to return in a sequel to 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong, as well as multiple streaming TV series. However, monster fans may have to wait a little while before seeing Godzilla and Kong on screen again, with no release dates announced before 2024.
Godzilla and King Kong are two of the longest-running and most prolific franchises in film, beginning in 1954 and 1933 respectively. Godzilla has appeared in 36 movies between Hollywood and Japan, while King Kong has a dozen big-screen appearances, beginning with the classic 1933 stop-motion monster movie. As two of the most famous movie monsters, Godzilla and Kong have long been associated with each other and first faced off in 1962's international co-production King Kong vs. Godzilla and later in the modern "MonsterVerse" series. Both creatures have also appeared in multiple TV series, comic books, video games, and other media. Here's every upcoming movie and TV show featuring Godzilla and King Kong and why there are so many of them.
Untitled Godzilla vs. Kong Sequel
Legendary Pictures has announced the fifth movie in their MonsterVerse series, a direct sequel to 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong that will feature both characters. The film, so far untitled, has already started filming, and early descriptions of the plot suggest that it will see Godzilla and King Kong teaming up against a greater threat from within the Hollow Earth. The Godzilla vs. Kong sequel's villain is currently a mystery, with fan speculation including Toho monsters such as Megalon, Space Godzilla, Gigan, and Bollante.
Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard is confirmed to return for the follow-up movie. Actors Bryan Tyree Henry, Rebecca Hall, and Kaylee Hottle will also reprise their roles. Downton Abbey and Legion star Dan Stevens has been cast in the lead role, with Fala Chen, Alex Ferns, and Rachel House also joining the cast. The scheduled release date for the as-yet-untitled Godzilla vs. Kong sequel is March 15, 2024, almost exactly three years after the original.
Skull Island TV series
In January 2021, Legendary and Netflix announced that the MonsterVerse would expand into television with an animated Skull Island series. The plot will involve a group of shipwrecked humans trying to escape the island full of giant monsters. Animation for the project will be done in an anime style by Powerhouse Animation Studios, which has previously worked on Netflix series such as Castlevania. Godzilla has already been the subject of Netflix animation, including a Toho-produced trilogy of anime films and the Godzilla Singular Point series, so Skull Island could do the same thing for Kong.
Jacob Robinson and Love and Monsters screenwriter Brian Duffield were announced as the showrunners for Skull Island. There has been little public information about the series since the initial announcement, with the project still in development. Netflix likes to keep things close to the vest, so it’s possible that there could be a surprise release of Skull Island in the future.
MonsterVerse TV series
The MonsterVerse is also producing a live-action TV series which will make its way to AppleTV+. The series, which is set after the events of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, features a family investigating their connection to the mysterious Monarch organization and the rise of giant monsters worldwide. While it sounds as if the series will be more focused on humans trying to adapt to the world of titans, there will probably be at least some kaiju action.
Writing the currently-unnamed Monsterverse series are TV veteran Chris Black and acclaimed comics writer Matt Fraction. Headlining the cast is Hollywood legend Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt, known for his role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, with other confirmed cast members including Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, and Ren Watabe. The live-action series began filming in July 2022 in Vancouver, with WandaVision director Matt Shakman behind the camera for the first two episodes.
Disney+ King Kong series
One of the more surprising TV announcements was Disney’s plans for a King Kong-based streaming series on its Disney+ platform. The newer series is expected to be closer to the original movie and explore Kong’s origins on Skull Island. James Wan, best known for originating multiple popular horror franchises as well as directing blockbusters such as Aquaman, will be heading up Disney’s reimagining. Further details are as yet unknown.
Why There Are So Many Godzilla & Kong Projects In Development
In part, the reason why there have been so many different versions of Godzilla and Kong over the years, and will be into the future, is because of the nature of the rights to both monsters. Godzilla and the associated kaiju are owned by Japanese studio Toho, which continues to produce its own line of Japanese-language movies that are separate from the MonsterVerse franchise. Toho hasn’t released a live-action Godzilla since 2016’s Shin Godzilla, but has stated that it is interested in developing a full kaiju universe going forward, which could include many Japanese films and series in the years to come.
Toho has also licensed the American rights to Godzilla to Legendary Pictures. While Legendary’s movies are currently distributed by Warner Bros, the studio is not part of any of the major media conglomerates, hence MonsterVerse projects being created for competing streaming services like Netflix and AppleTV+. There have also been reports that Legendary is looking to move to a different distributor in the near future, which could create further complications when it comes to the streaming rights of MonsterVerse movies.
King Kong’s copyright situation is even stranger. The original 1933 movie has not yet entered public domain, and various entities such as director Merian C. Cooper and his descendants, what remains of classic Hollywood studio RKO, and Universal Pictures have all claimed ownership at various times. However, because Cooper did not renew the copyright on his 1933 novelization of the movie, and the King Kong character has generally filtered into mass culture, judges have ruled that the ape himself and the storyline of the original movie are essentially public domain.
This legal situation means that, while the characters and some plot elements introduced in the MonsterVerse Kong movies are under copyright, basically anyone can make a King Kong movie, show, or other media. The open nature of Kong’s rights has resulted in adaptations as disparate as 2005’s Peter Jackson-helmed remake for Universal Pictures and the more action-oriented MonsterVerse movies. With modern studios constantly looking for familiar intellectual property, don’t be surprised if even more new versions of King Kong and Godzilla surface in the near future.