It was only a matter of time before King Kong would meet Godzilla, but today Legendary made it official.
According to a news post posted on the Legendary official site, King Kong and Godzilla now share the same cinematic universe. Not only that, it seems they have a full slate of films up to the King Kong vs. Godzilla film for 2020.
The films in the series will be:
Kong: Skull Island – March 10, 2017
Godzilla 2 – June 8, 2018
Godzilla vs. Kong – 2020
With a series of big budget flops, including Pan, it is no wonder they are doubling down on the monster universe. With Godzilla doing well at the Boxoffice, this is Warner Bros. standing behind the Giant Lizzard in a big way.
In a statement on the official Legendary site Legendary CEO Thomas Tull explained:
“Audiences really responded to Godzilla. Today, I’m excited to reveal that film was only the beginning of an epic new entertainment universe. As a lifelong fan of these characters, I’ve always wanted to see the ultimate showdown, and today we’re pleased to be announcing that and more.”
With Marvel doing so well with the shared universe concept, it is clear this is another move by WB and Legendary to build a new universe, one built on Giant creatures.
Tell goes on explain that “Working with our partners at Legendary, we enjoyed tremendous creative and commercial success with `Godzilla,’” said Tsujihara. “It’s great to be able to revisit these characters and help create a franchise with so many creative possibilities for filmmakers. Fans love these big, globally iconic films, and it doesn’t get any bigger than this.”
It is exciting to see WB and Legendary get behind these films in such a strong way. The latest Godzilla film held great promise for the franchise, and it will be exciting to see what the team do for the next installments.
