According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vera Farmiga (The Departed, “Bates Motel“) has hopped on board Warner Bros.’ Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The actress will be play the mother of Millie Bobby Brown’s (“Stranger Things“) character. Kyle Chandler (Super 8, “Friday Night Lights“) was recently cast as Brown’s father and is apparently portraying a scientist. Talk about an acting power trio!
Details remain scarce on the giant monster sequel. All that we know, aside from the above three actors, is that the project will be directed by Michael Dougherty (Trick ‘r Treat, Krampus), from a screenplay by Dougherty and Zach Shields. It may also see the return of Ken Watanabe, who played a supporting character in the 2014 reboot. Beyond that? Zip.
The film is rumored to see the appearance of other classic Toho kaiju creations such as Rodan, Mothra, and the dreaded King Ghidorah. I have stated before that, at least monster-wise, it sounds like this might end up being a loose retread of 1964’s Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster. That Godzilla classic saw three previously established monsters (Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra) smacking each other around for the first act, but ultimately coming together to save humanity from the cosmic threat of King Ghidorah.
In most incarnations of Ghidorah, he is controlled by malevolent aliens, but his original appearance had him acting of his own accord. A gigantic destructive agent of chaos, leveling any and all in his path. Basically, he’ll make a fine foe for this feature.
Given that Godzilla is positioned as a hero (or at least antihero) in these new American films, much like he was in the majority of the original 1954-1975 Toho run, I am still wondering what the angle is for 2020’s Godzilla vs. Kong. The trailers for Kong: Skull Island are also promising an antihero Kong, so why would these two be at odds, other than “professional” rivalry? Will one of them be controlled by aliens in classic Showa era Toho fashion? Or will the mash-up film contain a third, far more dangerous monster (or monsters) that will force Godzilla and King Kong to team-up to defeat? Perhaps we will know more when Kong: Skull Island arrives in a few weeks time.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters lenses this summer, ahead of its March 22nd, 2019 release.
