Though King Kong threatened to steal the title for himself earlier this year through the release of Skull Island, come 2019, Godzilla will resurface from the murky depths to prove that he is, in fact, King of the Monsters.
Yes, Michael Dougherty’s long-brewing monster sequel is beginning to coalesce and to prove it, the writer-director has Tweeted out a behind-the-scenes photo from Atlanta. Joined by the likes of Avengers 4, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Sony’s Venom spinoff, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is one of many Hollywood blockbusters to set up shop in the Georgia capital, and we’ve already caught a glimpse of the spectacle Dougherty and Co. are rustling up.
This teaser, on the other hand, arrives by way of an official source, but that doesn’t make it any less intriguing. In fact, it offers up our first sneak peek at the titular deity, whose snarling, square-shaped face is projected onto a looming screen. Retaining much of the same design seen in Gareth Edwards’ first Godzilla film, this pre-CGI pic doesn’t offer much in terms of story, but it’s an exciting reminder that another blockbuster creature feature is on the way.
And after wrestling with two giant MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Objects), Godzilla will be going up against three legendary opponents in 2019: Mothra, Rodan, and the three-headed King Ghidorah. The sequel’s official synopsis confirms as much, too, while also name-dropping the nefarious Monarch organization:
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.
On the ground level, Legendary and Warner Bros. have tapped a whole host of human A-listers to bring drama to the spectacle, including Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Thomas Middleditch, Charles Dance, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Aisha Hinds and Zhang Ziyi, who is considered a cornerstone of the so-called MonsterVerse for 2019 and beyond.
Speaking of which, Godzilla: King of the Monsters will stomp into the super-sized spotlight on March 22nd, 2019. It’ll be followed in quick succession by the all-consuming Godzilla Vs. Kong in 2020, which doesn’t lend big ol’ Gojira much time to catch his atomic breath.
