First photos for ‘Godzilla King of the Monsters’, Danai Gurira joins ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ and ‘Star Trek 4’
The first Godzilla 2 images have arrived, and the sequel teases the monster breathing fire.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters will be helmed by Trick ‘r Treat filmmaker Michael Dougherty with a new cast and only a couple of cast members returning: Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins.
Speaking with EW, who released the first photos promoting the film, Dougherty reveals the new film is set five years since the events of Godzilla, in which the titular beast revealed himself to the world to battle other creatures.
“The world is reacting to Godzilla in the same way we would react to any other terrifying incident, in that we are overreacting,” says the Krampus director. Godzilla hasn’t been seen since that destructive finale, “but there’s paranoia and endless speculation about whether he is the only one out there or whether we’re threatened by others like his kind.”
The official synopsis is at the bottom.
Check out the new pics below, which include the first look at Millie Bobby Brown and Vera Farmiga, stars of Stranger Things and Bates Motel respectively.
King of the Monsters will be bringing King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan into the fold, and Dougherty says the film does Rodan justice after the character has played sidekick to Godzilla in previous features.
“Rodan’s been kind of a sidekick character, but I’ve always had a soft spot for him” says Dougherty. “In a lot of ways he’s more powerful than Godzilla. He’s like this winged A-bomb. I think we’ve done him justice.” But let’s not forget Godzilla himself, who reveals he has the ability to exhale “atomic breath.” Can Dougherty expand on that description? “Not without giving away too much,” he laughs. “But it takes place at a very key moment and it’s a sort of call to arms.”
The EW coverage provides a ton of details: Dr. Emma Russell (Vera Farmiga), a scientist working for the beastie-hunting organization Monarch, and her daughter Madison (Brown). The pair are kidnapped by what Dougherty describes as “a mysterious organization, with their own plans for the creatures.”
Kyle Chandler has been cast as Mark Russell, Emma’s ex-husband and Madison’s father, who embarks on a rescue mission in cahoots with two more Monarch members, Watanabe and Hawkins.
Farmiga teased her character’s role: “She has figured out a way to communicate with the creatures and potentially control them using their bioacoustics on a sonar level. So she is like a DJ for the monsters.”
King Ghidorah is being played (via the magic of motion capture) by Jason Liles, along with 2 other actors for each of the heads. Other new cast: Bradley Whitford, O’Shea Jackson and Zhang Ziyi, Aisha Hinds (Star Trek Into Darkness), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley) and Randy Havens (Stranger Things).
Looking ahead to 2020’s Godzilla vs. Kong, Dougherty was asked about setting up that face-off in his film.
“It’s not like we’re bending over backwards to introduce Kong, but there’s definitely some bread crumbs,” says the director.
Expect more soon as the trailer will likely play at SDCC. Godzilla: King of the Monsters opens in theaters on May 31, 2019.
In related news, Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead, Black Panther) is set to join the Godzilla vs King Kong film and Paramount’s Star Trek 4. The big monster showdown recently added Frances McDormand, who won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Here’s the official synopsis for Godzilla: King of the Monsters:
The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.
