Vorlage:Infobox media franchise The MonsterVerse[1] is an American media franchise and shared fictional universe that is centered on a series of monster films featuring Godzilla and King Kong, produced by Legendary Entertainment and co-produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The first installment was Godzilla (2014), a reboot[2] of the Godzilla franchise, which was followed by Kong: Skull Island (2017), a reboot[3] of the King Kong franchise. The next film to be released will be Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), followed by Godzilla vs. Kong (2020). With two films released to date, the series has grossed over $1 billion worldwide.[4]
Development
Legendary Entertainment confirmed at the July 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International that it had acquired the licensing rights to Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah from Toho and revealed concept footage with the closing title cards reading "Conflict: inevitable. Let them fight".[5] In September 2015, Legendary announced that the film Kong: Skull Island would not be developed with Universal Studios. Instead, it would be developed with Warner Bros., which sparked media speculation that Godzilla and King Kong would appear in a film together.[6][7]
In October 2015, Legendary announced plans to unite Godzilla and King Kong in a film titled Godzilla vs. Kong, set for a 2020 release date. Legendary plans to create a shared cinematic franchise "centered around Monarch" (the secret government agency which debuted in 2014's Godzilla) and that "brings together Godzilla and Legendary’s King Kong in an ecosystem of other giant super-species, both classic and new".[8] Later in October, it was announced that Kong: Skull Island would have references to Monarch.[9]
In May 2016, Warner Bros. announced that Godzilla vs. Kong would be released on May 29, 2020, and that Godzilla: King of the Monsters would be pushed back from its original June 2018 release date to March 22, 2019,[10] however, the film was later pushed back again to May 31, 2019.[11] In October 2016, Legendary announced that Godzilla: King of the Monsters would be filmed at its parent company Wanda's Oriental Movie Metropolis facility in Qingdao, China, along with Pacific Rim Uprising.[12] That same month, it was revealed that Legendary was planning a writers room to create their Godzilla–Kong cinematic universe, with Alex Garcia overseeing the project for Legendary.[13]
In early January 2017, Thomas Tull, founder of Legendary, resigned from the company but would remain as producer for the Godzilla–Kong series, which was revealed as the "MonsterVerse".[14] In March 2017, Legendary assembled a writers room to develop the story for Godzilla vs. Kong.[15]
Films
| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Story by | Screenplay by | Producer(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Godzilla | Vorlage:Start date | Gareth Edwards | David Callaham | Max Borenstein | Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Mary Parent and Brian Rogers | Released |
| Kong: Skull Island | Vorlage:Start date | Jordan Vogt-Roberts | John Gatins | Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein and Derek Connolly | Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Mary Parent and Alex Garcia | |
| Godzilla: King of the Monsters | May 31, 2019 | Michael Dougherty | Max Borenstein, Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields | Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields | Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Brian Rogers, Mary Parent and Alex Garcia | Completed |
| Godzilla vs. Kong | May 22, 2020 | Adam Wingard | TBA | Terry Rossio | Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric McLeod, and Brian Rogers | Filming |
Godzilla (2014)
The film reimagines Godzilla's origins in contemporary times and is set 15 years after a nuclear meltdown in Japan which subsequently awakens two giant parasitic creatures, known as "MUTOs". As the MUTOs ravage the countryside in order to reproduce, they awaken a larger ancient alpha predator, known as "Godzilla", whose existence has been kept secret by the U.S. government since 1954. The film introduces Godzilla, the MUTOs, and the Monarch organization to the MonsterVerse.
In 2004, director Yoshimitsu Banno acquired permission from Toho to produce a short IMAX Godzilla film which was in development for several years until the project was eventually turned over to Legendary Pictures.[2][16] In March 2010, Legendary announced to have acquired the rights to Godzilla for a feature film reboot.[17] In January 2011, Gareth Edwards was announced as the director for the film.[18] The film was co-produced with Warner Bros. Pictures with filming completed in 2013 in Canada and the United States for release in 2014.[19] Godzilla was released on May 16, 2014 to positive reviews from critics[20][21] and was a box office success, grossing $200 million domestically and $529 million worldwide against its $160 million budget.[22]
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
The film, set in 1973, follows a team of scientists and Vietnam War soldiers who travel to an uncharted island in the Pacific and encounter terrifying creatures and the mighty Kong. The film introduces King Kong, Mother Longlegs,[23] Sker Buffalos,[23] Mire Squid,[23] Leafwing,[23] Psychovulture,[23] Spore Mantis,[23] Ramarak,[24] and the Skullcrawlers to the MonsterVerse and a post-credits scene introduces Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah to the MonsterVerse.[25]
In July 2014 at the San Diego Comic-Con, Legendary announced a King Kong origin story, initially titled Skull Island, with a release date of November 4, 2016, and Universal Pictures distributing.[26] In September 2014, Jordan Vogt-Roberts was announced as the film's director.[27] In September 2015, Legendary moved development of the film from Universal Pictures to Warner Bros. to create an expanded cinematic universe.[28] Principal photography began on October 19, 2015, in Hawaii and Vietnam. Kong: Skull Island was released on March 10, 2017 to positive reviews from critics[29][30] and was a box office success, grossing $168 million domestically and $566 million worldwide against its $185 million budget.[31] The film received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 90th Academy Awards.[32]
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
The Monarch agency struggles to ensure humanity's survival in an age of god-sized monsters. Three new monsters named Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah rise to challenge Godzilla for supremacy.[33] The film changes the monsters' designation from "MUTOs" to "Titans" as the secrecy of their existence has been dispelled.[34]
Prior to announcing a shared cinematic universe between Godzilla and King Kong, Legendary originally intended to produce a Godzilla trilogy, with Gareth Edwards attached to direct all films.[35] However, Edwards left the sequel in May 2016 to work on smaller scale projects.[36] In January 2017, Michael Dougherty was announced as the director and co-writer for the film.[37] Principal photography began on June 19, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia and wrapped on September 27, 2017.[38] The film is scheduled to be released on May 31, 2019, in 2D, 3D, and select IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, except in Japan where it will be distributed by Toho.[11][33]
Godzilla vs. Kong (2020)
In an age when monsters reclaim the planet, humanity's fight for survival triggers the inevitable battle between Godzilla and King Kong, while Monarch unravels the origins of the Titans and a human conspiracy that threatens to destroy all the monsters.[39]
The project was announced in October 2015 when Legendary announced plans for a shared cinematic universe between Godzilla and King Kong. The film's writers room was assembled in March 2017 and Adam Wingard was announced as the director in May 2017. Principal photography began in November 2018 in Hawaii and Australia and is expected to conclude in February 2019. Godzilla vs. Kong is scheduled to be released on May 22, 2020 in 2D, 3D, and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, except in Japan where it will be distributed by Toho.[39]
Cast and characters
- A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's presence in the film has not yet been announced.
- An Vorlage:Note label indicates the character appears through use of motion capture.
- A Vorlage:Note label indicates an appearance by an actor portraying a younger version of a character.
| Character | Released films | Upcoming films | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Godzilla | [[Kong: Skull Island|Vorlage:Small Skull Island]] |
[[Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film)|Vorlage:Small King of the Monsters]] |
Godzilla vs. Kong | |
| 2014 | 2017 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Monsters | ||||
| Godzilla | T.J. StormVorlage:Ref | Silent cameo | T.J. StormVorlage:Ref[40][41] | N. N. |
| King Kong | Terry NotaryVorlage:Ref | |||
| Toby KebbellVorlage:Ref | ||||
| King Ghidorah | Silent cameo | Jason LilesVorlage:Ref | ||
| Alan MaxsonVorlage:Ref | ||||
| Richard DortonVorlage:Ref | ||||
| Mothra | N. N. | |||
| Rodan | Jason LilesVorlage:Ref[42] | |||
| Humans | ||||
| Ford Brody | Aaron Taylor-Johnson | |||
| Vorlage:Small | ||||
| Ishiro Serizawa | Ken Watanabe | Ken Watanabe | ||
| Elle Brody | Elizabeth Olsen | |||
| Joe Brody | Bryan Cranston | |||
| Vivienne Graham | Sally Hawkins | Sally Hawkins | ||
| William Stentz | David Strathairn | David Strathairn | ||
| Sandra Brody | Juliette Binoche | |||
| James Conrad | Tom Hiddleston | |||
| Hank Marlow | John C. Reilly | |||
| Vorlage:Small | ||||
| Mason Weaver | Brie Larson | |||
| Preston Packard | Samuel L. Jackson | |||
| Bill Randa | John Goodman | |||
| Houston Brooks | Corey Hawkins | |||
| San Lin | Jing Tian | |||
| Mark Russell | Kyle Chandler | |||
| Emma Russell | Vera Farmiga | |||
| Madison Russell | Millie Bobby Brown | |||
| Stanton | Bradley Whitford | |||
| Sam Coleman | Thomas Middleditch | |||
| Barnes | O'Shea Jackson Jr. | |||
| Dr. Chen | Zhang Ziyi | |||
Reception
Box office performance
| Film | Release date | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Budget | Vorlage:Abbr | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Other territories | Worldwide | North America | Worldwide | ||||
| Godzilla | May 16, 2014 | $200,676,069 | $328,400,000 | $529,076,069 | 183 | 165 | $160 million | [22] |
| Kong: Skull Island | March 10, 2017 | $168,052,812 | $398,600,000 | $566,652,812 | 268 | 144 | $185 million | [31] |
| Total | $Vorlage:Val | $Vorlage:Val | $Vorlage:Val | $345 million | [4] | |||
Critical and public response
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Godzilla | 75% (306 reviews) [43] | 62 (48 critics) [44] | B+[45] |
| Kong: Skull Island | 76% (347 reviews) [46] | 62 (49 critics) [47] | B+[45] |
Tie-in material
Books
| Title | Release date | Writer(s) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Godzilla: The Art of Destruction | May 13, 2014 | Mark Cotta | The making of Godzilla |
| Godzilla – The Official Movie Novelization | May 20, 2014 | Greg Cox | Novelization of Godzilla |
| Kong: Skull Island – The Official Movie Novelization | March 14, 2017 | Tim Lebbon | Novelization of Kong: Skull Island |
| The Art and Making of Kong: Skull Island | March 21, 2017 | Simon Ward | The making of Kong: Skull Island |
Comics
| Title | Release date | Writer(s) | Illustrator(s) | Cover Artist(s) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Godzilla: Awakening | Vorlage:Start date | Max Borenstein and Greg Borenstein | Eric Battle, Yvel Guichet, Alan Quah, and Lee Loughridge | Arthur Adams | Tie-in prequel graphic novel to Godzilla |
| Skull Island: The Birth of Kong | April 12, 2017 | Arvid Nelson | Zid | Zid, Drew Johnson (issue #4) | Tie-in prequel/sequel comic to Kong: Skull Island |
| Godzilla: Aftershock | Spring 2019 | Arvid Nelson | Drew Edward Johnson | Tie-in prequel graphic novel to Godzilla: King of the Monsters |
Video games
Legendary's Godzilla was featured as a playable character in Bandai Namco's 2014 video game Godzilla as "Hollywood Godzilla".[48][49]
| Title | Release date | Developer | Publisher | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Godzilla: Crisis Defense[50] | May 7, 2014 | Legendary | Legendary | Tie-in web game to Godzilla |
| Godzilla: Strike Zone[51] | May 15, 2014 | Warner Bros. Entertainment | Warner Bros. International Enterprises | Tie-in mobile game to Godzilla |
| Godzilla: Smash 3[51] | May 16, 2014 | Rogue Play | Pipeworks | Tie-in mobile game to Godzilla |
See also
References
Notes
Vorlage:MonsterVerse Vorlage:Godzilla Vorlage:KingKong
- ↑ MonsterVerse Trademark Application of Legendary Pictures, LLC. In: Justia Trademarks. Abgerufen am 20. Januar 2017.
- ↑ a b Ryan Lambie: Producer Brian Rogers discusses US Godzilla reboot. In: Den of Geek. 21. September 2010, abgerufen am 26. Februar 2018.
- ↑ Trey Williams: Kong: Skull Island is Step 1 in Warner Bros. reboot of 1933 classic as monster franchise. In: Market Watch. 11. März 2017, abgerufen am 26. Februar 2018.
- ↑ a b Godzilla and Kong Universe. In: Box Office Mojo. Abgerufen am 11. März 2017.
- ↑ Kase Wickman: Holy Mothra: Gareth Edwards Reveals 'Godzilla 2' Monsters At Comic-Con. MTV, 26. Juli 2014, abgerufen am 24. Juni 2016.
- ↑ Mike Fleming Jr.: King Kong On Move To Warner Bros, Presaging Godzilla Monster Matchup. In: Deadline. 10. September 2015, abgerufen am 10. September 2015.
- ↑ Kim Masters: Hollywood Gorilla Warfare: It’s Universal vs. Legendary Over ‘Kong: Skull Island’ (and Who Says "Thank You") In: The Hollywood Reporter, September 16, 2015. Abgerufen im September 17, 2015
- ↑ Vorlage:Cite press release
- ↑ Kim Masters: Hollywood Gorilla Warfare: It’s Universal vs. Legendary Over ‘Kong: Skull Island’ (and Who Says "Thank You") In: hollywoodreporter.com, September 16, 2015. Abgerufen im September 21, 2015
- ↑ Abid Rahman: Warner Bros. Moves Dates For 'Godzilla 2,' 'Godzilla vs Kong'. In: The Hollywood Reporter. 10. Mai 2016, abgerufen am 10. Mai 2016.
- ↑ a b Sandy Schaefer: Godzilla 2 & The Shining Sequel Get New Release Dates. In: Screen Rant. 23. Mai 2018, abgerufen am 23. Mai 2018.
- ↑ Mia Galuppo: Wanda Unveils Plans for $8 Billion 'Movie Metropolis,' Reveals Details About Film Incentives In: The Hollywood Reporter, October 17, 2016
- ↑ Justin Kroll: Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields to Write ‘Godzilla 2’ for Legendary (Exclusive). In: Variety. 20. Oktober 2016, abgerufen am 20. Oktober 2016.
- ↑ Rebecca Ford, Kim Masters: Thomas Tull to Exit Legendary Entertainment (Exclusive). In: The Hollywood Reporter. 17. Januar 2017, abgerufen am 20. Januar 2017.
- ↑ Borys Kit: 'Godzilla vs. Kong' Film Sets Writers Room (Exclusive). In: The Hollywood Reporter. 10. März 2017, abgerufen am 10. März 2017.
- ↑ Roth Corneth: 'Godzilla' Will Return To His Roots In Legendary Pictures Reboot. In: Screen Rant. 22. September 2010, abgerufen am 20. Juli 2015.
- ↑ Dave McNary: 'Godzilla' stomps back to screen. In: Variety. 29. März 2010 (variety.com).
- ↑ Borys Kit: EXCLUSIVE: 'Monsters' Director Stomps to 'Godzilla'. In: The Hollywood Reporter. 4. Januar 2011 (hollywoodreporter.com [abgerufen am 9. Februar 2011]).
- ↑ Frosty Weintraub: CCI: GODZILLA Invades Theaters May 16, 2014; Studio Expects 3D Release. In: Collider. 13. September 2012, abgerufen am 13. September 2012.
- ↑ Anna Silman: Review Roundup: One of the Scariest Things in Godzilla Is Bryan Cranston’s Wig. In: Vulture. 16. Mai 2014, abgerufen am 26. Februar 2016.
- ↑ H. Shaw-Williams: ‘Godzilla': First Audience Reactions Promise a Slow Reveal. In: Screen Rant. 2. Mai 2014, abgerufen am 26. Februar 2016.
- ↑ a b Godzilla (2014). In: Box Office Mojo. Abgerufen am 28. August 2014.
- ↑ a b c d e f Jeff Spry: Meet the crazy creatures of Kong: Skull Island with 6 monster bio cards. In: Syfy Wire. 8. März 2017, abgerufen am 31. März 2017.
- ↑ Ramarak The Skullcrawler Trademark Application of Legendary Pictures, LLC. In: Justia Trademarks. Abgerufen am 31. März 2017.
- ↑ Matt Goldberg: ‘Kong: Skull Island’ Post-Credits Scene Explained. In: Collider. 11. März 2017, abgerufen am 6. Januar 2018.
- ↑ Peter Sciretta: Legendary Announces King Kong Prequel 'Skull Island' Movie For 2016 [Comic Con 2014], Slashfilm.com, July 27, 2014
- ↑ Mike Fleming, Jr.: Legendary’s ‘Skull Island'; Tom Hiddleston Stars, Jordan Vogt-Roberts Helms King Kong Origin Tale. Deadline.com, 16. September 2014, abgerufen am 16. September 2014.
- ↑ Borys Kit: 'Kong: Skull Island' to Move to Warner Bros. for Planned Monster Movie Universe. In: The Hollywood Reporter. 10. September 2015, abgerufen am 21. September 2015.
- ↑ Matt Goldberg: ‘Kong: Skull Island’: What Did You Think? In: Collider. 10. März 2017, abgerufen am 15. März 2017.
- ↑ Scott Mendelson: 'Kong: Skull Island': Four Lessons For 'Justice League' And The DC Films Franchise. In: Forbes. 13. März 2017, abgerufen am 15. März 2017.
- ↑ a b Kong: Skull Island (2017). In: Box Office Mojo. Abgerufen am 9. April 2017.
- ↑ Carolyn Giardina: Visual Effects Society Awards: 'Apes,' 'Blade Runner 2049' Lead Feature Nominees In: The Hollywood Reporter, January 16, 2018. Abgerufen im July 15, 2018
- ↑ a b Vorlage:Cite press release
- ↑ John Orquiola: Godzilla 2 Has Renamed The MonsterVerse Creatures. In: Screen Rant. 21. Juli 2018, abgerufen am 17. Oktober 2018.
- ↑ Borys Kit: 'Star Wars' Spinoff Hires 'Godzilla' Director Gareth Edwards (Exclusive). In: The Hollywood Reporter. 22. Mai 2014, abgerufen am 6. Februar 2017.
- ↑ Mike Fleming, Jr: Director Gareth Edwards Exits 'Godzilla 2'. In: Deadline.com. 13. Mai 2016, abgerufen am 13. Mai 2016.
- ↑ Justin Kroll: 'Godzilla 2' Finds Director in Michael Dougherty. In: Variety. 23. Januar 2017, abgerufen am 23. Januar 2017.
- ↑ http://screenrant.com/godzilla-2-filming-done/}
- ↑ a b Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Entertainment’s Monsterverse Shifts into Overdrive as Cameras Roll on the Next Big-Screen Adventure “Godzilla Vs. Kong”. In: Business Wire. Abgerufen am 12. November 2018.
- ↑ Meet the Monster Actors in Godzilla: King of the Monsters
- ↑ Alan Maxson on Twitter
- ↑ Nell Minow: Comic-Con 2018: Jason Liles on Playing the Beasts of Rampage and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. In: RogerEbert.com. 23. Juli 2018, abgerufen am 10. Dezember 2018.
- ↑ Godzilla (2014). In: Rotten Tomatoes. Abgerufen am 28. August 2018.
- ↑ Godzilla (2014) Reviews. In: Metacritic.
- ↑ a b CinemaScore. In: cinemascore.com.
- ↑ Kong: Skull Island (2017). In: Rotten Tomatoes. Abgerufen am 16. September 2018.
- ↑ Kong: Skull Island Reviews. In: Metacritic.
- ↑ Godzilla The Game - PS4 Gameplay Trailer. In: Bandai Namco Entertainment America. Abgerufen am 27. Mai 2017.
- ↑ Spencer: Godzilla Developer Was So Passionate About Their Favorite Monster They Snuck It In The Game. In: Siliconera. 13. Juli 2015, abgerufen am 6. März 2018.
- ↑ Godzilla (2014) 'Crisis Defense' Game Launched
- ↑ a b Godzilla (2014) Licensed Products Guide. In: SciFi Japan. Abgerufen am 3. August 2018.