When Gareth Edwards’ summoned the King of the Monsters back into theaters three years ago with Godzilla, the notion of a shared universe involving King Kong was nigh on wishful thinking, and it was only when Legendary Entertainment struck a deal with Warner Bros. that the so-called Monsterverse started to take shape.
And though it may have split critics down the middle, both studios quickly issued the green light for both a Godzilla sequel and Kong Vs. Godzilla, a crossover event for the ages that’s on course to light up theaters in 2020. Long before moviegoers bear witness to Legendary and WB’s gladiatorial brawl, though, Jordan Vogt-Roberts will add his own piece to the puzzle in the form of Kong: Skull Island, and we now have a better sense of the connective tissue tying Skull Island to the Godzilla of 2014.
As previously teased, John Goodman is attached to the part of a Monarch employee, the nefarious organization first introduced in Edwards’ blockbuster three years ago. Unlike, say, Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston’s intrepid explorers, Goodman’s character is well versed in Skull Island’s extraordinary food chain, much to the chagrin of his fellow crew members. As producer Alex Garcia tells Cinema Blend, Goodman’s Monarch suit will in many ways be “pulling the strings” of the expedition.
“It’s a landslide expedition, officially, but John Goodman, who plays the guy from Monarch, is sort of pulling the strings in the background and we come to realize obviously that they knew much more than they let on initially.”
Set during the final years of the Vietnam War, Kong: Skull Island will have Hiddleston step into the shoes of Conrad, an unapologetic skeptic. Here’s what the actor told Cinema Blend about his character:
“He doesn’t have a direction, and I think there’s probably a question mark in his soul too, like where do I go now, what do I do now. So, he gets on the boat on the back foot. He’s there, kind of skeptical, and he takes the money and then they get to the island and there’s a huge prehistoric ape on the island and I think that’s where suddenly this Conrad has been kind of spiritually asleep or sleep-walking.”
Kong: Skull Island roars into theaters on March 10th. Down below, you’ll find the film’s stunning IMAX poster, which is essentially Apocalypse Now reincarnate – just swap out Colonel Kurtz for that iconic ape.
