Monsterverse
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The Monsterverse (モンスター・ヴァース Monsutā Vāsu),[a] originally announced as and stylized in its logo as the MonsterVerse, and sometimes called the Monsterverse series (「モンスター・ヴァース」シリーズ "Monsutā Vāsu" shirīzu),[1] is a multimedia franchise based around a series of giant monster films featuring Godzilla and King Kong produced by Legendary Pictures and co-funded and distributed by Warner Bros. It is the second adaptation of the Godzilla franchise by a Hollywood studio, following TriStar Pictures' GODZILLA in 1998. Legendary acquired the rights to produce an American Godzilla film in 2010 after being approached by producer Brian Rogers, who was attempting to secure funding for Yoshimitsu Banno's new Godzilla project Godzilla 3-D during the current hiatus in Toho's Godzilla series. Legendary opted to produce its own feature-length American Godzilla film rather than Banno's short IMAX film and negotiated with Toho to acquire the rights. Warner Bros., Legendary's then-current distribution partner, co-produced and theatrically released the film worldwide with the exception of Japan, where it was distributed by Toho.
The Monsterverse began in 2014 with Godzilla, and its success led to the swift greenlighting of a sequel co-starring Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah. The next film in the franchise, Kong: Skull Island, was announced later that year, although Legendary did not reveal that the two took place in the same universe until 2015. Though Legendary was in the middle of a distribution deal with Universal Pictures at the time, it set up distribution and co-financing of all future Monsterverse films with Warner Bros. Kong: Skull Island was released in 2017, followed by Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 2019 and the crossover film Godzilla vs. Kong in 2021. A fifth film, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, is scheduled for release in 2024.[2] Warner Bros. will once again serve as the film's distributor despite Legendary having signed a new distribution deal with Sony. The Monsterverse includes various non-film tie-in media, including several graphic novels published by Legendary Comics as well as two television series produced by Legendary Television.
Films
- Godzilla (2014)
- Kong: Skull Island (2017)
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
- Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
- Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
Future
On March 25, 2019, producers Alex Garcia and Zach Shields discussed the potential plans for the Monsterverse beyond 2020, and suggested the possibility that Legendary could continue the series beyond 2020 if Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong performed well.[3] On May 7, Michael Dougherty expressed interest in directing a prequel set in prehistoric times exploring how primitive humans survived against the Titans, humanity's first encounter with Godzilla, and how its relationship with Godzilla was christened.[4]
On April 27, 2021, following the success of Godzilla vs. Kong, The Hollywood Reporter disclosed that director Adam Wingard was in early talks with Legendary Pictures to direct a fifth Monsterverse film, with Son of Kong a potential title.[5]
Max Borenstein told ScreenRant on August 3, 2021, "I’ve heard some exciting things that are happening that I can't divulge. They have a great handle on things there and I certainly have thoughts and am always excited when I get involved in them. I think it's in good hands and with the success of Godzilla vs. Kong, there will be some new, interesting installments coming. Without being able to say any of that officially, you can look at the fact that that film performed and people really responded to it. I think it was really wonderful timing for people to have that towards the end of that surge in the pandemic, people really felt eager to see something that was fun and joyful in the cinema and it was really exciting to have our movie be that movie."[6]
Australian news outlet The Courier Mail broke the news that a new entry in the franchise was officially in development on March 20, 2022 (the 21st in Australia).[7] Production began on July 29, 2022[8], with Wingard returning as director.[9] Legendary Pictures released a teaser for the film on April 19, 2023, revealing its title as Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.[10]
Television
- Skull Island (2023)
- Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023-2024)
Netflix announced an animated series titled Skull Island on January 27, 2021, with animation by Powerhouse Animation Studios.[11] It was released via the platform on June 22, 2023.[12]
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a live-action series set between Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) which was announced to be in the works at Apple TV+ on January 20, 2022,[13] and is slated to premiere on November 17, 2023.[14]
Other media
In addition to the films, Legendary and Warner Bros. have licensed Monsterverse-related media, including books and video games.
Comics
Reprints
Books
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Video games
Tabletop games
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Monsters introduced
Gallery
Monsterverse logo
Transparent logo
Transparent logo
Logo used in conjunction with Skull Island: The Birth of Kong
Chinese Monsterverse celebration poster using Skullcrawler fan art by Twitter user @endorosu
Monsterverse banner at Licensing Expo 2022
Monsterverse booth at Licensing Expo 2022
Trivia
- All of the films in Legendary's Monsterverse have been distributed by Warner Bros. (except in Japan, where Toho has distributed the Godzilla films), despite Legendary's distribution partners varying during that span.
- All of the Monsterverse films have been released on dates falling in May and March in alternating order, with the exception of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which is scheduled for April 12, 2024.
- The Monsterverse is the first series of Godzilla films in which Godzilla does not deliberately cause destruction in its first entry. While Godzilla was portrayed as the more heroic/anti-heroic monster in the first film of the Millennium series, Godzilla 2000: Millennium, he still caused destruction and attacked humans, while the Godzilla in Legendary Pictures' Godzilla never intentionally causes destruction or threatens human characters, and all death and destruction he produces is simply a byproduct of his size.
- Although Pacific Rim and Pacific Rim Uprising are also kaiju films produced by Legendary Pictures, they do not share continuity with the Monsterverse.
- All five of Toho's "Big Five" monsters - Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla - appear in the Monsterverse, a distinction it shares with the Showa, Heisei, and Polygon Pictures anime trilogy continuities.
- It is also the second film series to feature a meeting between Godzilla and King Kong, as well as the second to have both the "Big Five" and King Kong appear in it.
See also
- Showa era
- Heisei era
- Millennium era
- Reiwa era
- List of Godzilla film continuities
- List of King Kong film continuities
External links
Notes
- ↑ Also spelled モンスター・バース (Monsutā Bāsu) and モンスターバース (Monsutābāsu) by some Japanese media.
References
This is a list of references for Monsterverse. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
Bibliography
- ""UNTITLED GODZILLA VS KONG SEQUEL" Feature Film". Production Weekly. No. 1291. Production Weekly. 24 March 2022.
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