Director Gareth Edwards exits ‘Godzilla 2’
Director Gareth Edwards has parted ways with Legendary and Warner Bros.’ project Godzilla 2. Edwards, who directed 2014 blockbuster Godzilla film and was slated to return for the sequel after he wrapped work on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which is set to open in December.
Edwards made a name for himself, broke through with the low-budget 2010 movie Monsters, has exited the project. Godzilla 2 is a priority for Warners, which is staking out a cinematic monster universe featuring creatures with Godzilla and King Kong.
Reasons for Edwards’ departure remain unclear.
Some say Edwards wants a break from back-to-back big-budget tentpoles, while other sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the filmmaker was feeling rushed to meet a timeline.
The latter theory sounds plausible since Edwards sounded consumed by Rogue One in one story.
Max Borenstein promised “bigger” and “better things” for the Godzilla sequel, landing in a few years.
“I’m doing it. I’m writing it now, and it’s really going to be great,” Borenstein tells Collider during the TCA event.
“I don’t want to go off book and tell you anything that I’m not allowed to tell you. The response to the first film was really exciting, but now that that world is established, we can do bigger and even better things. We’re really stoked…”
Max addressed the Rogue One problem: “…He’s making Star Wars right now, so he’s a little preoccupied, but yeah. Gareth is amazing. It’s exciting to get to work with him again. One of the fun things about that experience is the same fun that it’s been on [Minority Report], where you really get to have your fingers in the pie.”
Now on the hunt for a new director will begin.
The Godzilla 2 was set to arrive in theaters on March 22, 2019.