Godzilla vs. Kong: Official Logo Revealed
The table has been set and Godzilla vs. Kong is coming. In one corner we have Godzilla, standing 70 feet tall and weighing in at 164,000 tons.
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The table has been set and Godzilla vs. Kong is coming. In one corner we have Godzilla, standing 70 feet tall and weighing in at 164,000 tons. He is the King of the Monsters. In the other corner, we have Kong, crouching at 25 feet and weighing anywhere between 20 to 60 tons. On paper, it is a mismatch. Good thing there was Kong: Skull Island.
THEY HAVE MET BEFORE
Fascination with the two behemoths started long before this new Godzilla vs. Kong was ever thought of. King Kong made his original appearance back in 1933 with the movie King Kong starring Fay Wray and Bruce Cabot. Kong then went on to be part of many other movies or attempted reboots. He was part of 1967’s King Kong Escapes, the Dino DeLaurentis 1976 remake King Kong and its sequel King Kong Lives. He was also the subject in Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake, also titled King Kong.
Godzilla, for his part, has been in monster lore for a shorter period of time but has been just as popular as the giant ape. Godzilla is a Japanese creation that was brought to the big screen in 1954 Godzilla and has seen over 35 movies in the Godzilla franchise. Extremely popular in Japan, Godzilla also has a rabid fan base in the United States.
Yes, the two kaiju (giant monsters) have met before. Crazy enough, with all the giant monster movies produced to this date, Kong and Godzilla have only met once previously. This was in the 1962 movie King Kong vs. Godzilla. This movie holds the record for the highest box office attendance figures of all Godzilla films in Japan.
GODZILLA VS. KONG’S HUMAN ACTORS
Surprisingly enough, there are human actors in Godzilla vs. Kong too.
Returning from Godzilla: King of the Monsters is Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) as well as Kyle Chandler. Ziyi Zhang (Rush Hour 2, Memoirs of a Geisha) will also return.
It does not look like any of the cast from Kong: Skull Island will in Godzilla vs. Kong to see the ultimate throw down, though. Alexander Skarsgård, who will star as Randall Flagg in the upcoming CBS All-Access series Stephen King’s The Stand, joins the returning actors. Also on board will be Eiza González (Alita: Battle Angel, Bloodshot) and Rebecca Hall (Professor Marston & The Wonder Women, Holmes & Watson).
THE PEOPLE MAKING GODZILLA VS. KONG
Adam Wingard pulled the duty of directing this showdown of gigantic proportion. Wingard has over 20 films under his belt, many falling into the horror category and nothing as big as this production. It will be interesting to see how he puts these two iconic monsters on the screen in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Some of Wingard’s credits include V/H/S, The ABCs of Death, V/H/S 2, Blair Witch, and his last directing job came on the film Death Note.
MAKING KING KONG AND GODZILLA THE SAME SIZE
How do you get Godzilla and Kong into the same room for Godzilla vs. Kong? The size difference between the two monsters is traditionally vast. Kong has always been more of an overgrown gorilla than an out and out giant monster. But the issue still stands, and it is a big one. The size difference between the two needs to be addressed.
Thankfully, the time setting of Kong: Skull Island (the 1970s) and a line in that movie by John C. Reilly help address this exact problem. When Reilly’s character finally hits the screen to give some background on Kong, he does mention to the group that Kong has not yet stopped growing. This implies that between that time in the ‘70s, until now, Kong will hit a hellacious growth spurt and catch up with Godzilla for Godzilla vs. Kong.
According to Godzilla vs. Kong director Wingard, who spoke to IGN at the San Diego Comic-Con, “They gave us a good out in Kong when they mentioned that Kong is still growing, but that’ll be a challenge we have to deal with, and we’re very aware of that issue.” Looks like they’ve got it covered.
THE PLOT OF GODZILLA VS. KONG
According to Wingard, he is shooting for a very character-focused film with Godzilla vs. Kong. “We’re going in very great detail through all the characters, the arcs they have, how they relate to one another, and most importantly, how they relate to the monsters, and how the monsters relate to them or reflect them.”
Okay, but what about the real stars of Godzilla vs. Kong? Well, Wingard also cleared that up, “I really want you to take those characters seriously. I want you to be emotionally invested, not just in the human characters, but actually in the monsters. It’s a massive monster brawl movie. There’s lots of monsters going crazy on each other, but at the end of the day, I want there to be an emotional drive to it. I want you to be emotionally invested in them. I think that’s what’s going to make it really cool.”
So, monsters galore, no telling how they all come together but it looks to be Earth trying to survive as these giant monsters roam, destroying everything in their paths. According to Legendary and Warner Brothers (makers of the movie), there will also be a human conspiracy which threatens to wipe out all creatures, both good and bad, off the face of the earth forever. Sounds like Godzilla vs. Kong may also involve a team-up.
WHICH MONSTER WILL WIN?
Wingard says there will be a clear winner in the battle of Godzilla vs. King Kong. He insists, “I do want there to be a winner. The original film was very fun, but you feel a little let down that the movie doesn’t take a definitive stance. People are still debating now who won in that original movie, you know. So, I do want people to walk away from this film feeling like, okay, there is a winner.”
But what about a Godzilla vs. Kong sequel? There has to be a sequel to this, right? Well, if box-office numbers pan out the way producers hope, of course, there will be a sequel. So, how definitive can the winner actually be?
GODZILLA VS. KONG’S RELEASE DATE
March 13, May 22, May 29, and November 20, 2020. These are all dates that Godzilla vs. Kong was supposed to be released. COVID continues to push release dates back further and further, but it looks like the film finally has a firm date set.
Godzilla vs. Kong is now scheduled to premiere on May 21, 2021. It will release simultaneously in theaters and direct to streaming on HBO Max. You’ll be able to watch it for free on HBO Max, with an HBO Max subscription.
