It has already been nearly three years since directorGareth Edwardssuccessfully broughtGodzillato American audiences with his 2014 take on the legendary monster. The movie was a bit divisive, but a success nevertheless, which has left many to wonder what is going on with the sequel. It is definitely happening and it has just taken a major step forward by officially hiring directorMichael Doughertyto helmGodzilla: King of Monsters.
Varietybroke the news thatMichael Doughertyhas nabbed the job to directGodzilla 2, which recently got the official title ofGodzilla: King of Monsters. TheTrick ‘r TreatandKrampusdirector has been attached to the project for quite some time but now Legendary Pictures has made it official and named him as the guy to further the story of this newGodzillaand lead him to his upcoming duel with King King.Gareth Edwardsannounced last year that he would not be returning to doGodzilla 2and that opened the door forMichael Doughertyto come in and take the job.
Michael DoughertyandZack Shieldswere previously hired to write the script forGodzilla 2, which lead many to speculate that Legendary had also found their director. That wasn’t confirmed until now, butMichael Doughertywas also brought on by the studio to head up the writer’s room for their “MonsterVerse,” which added fuel to the fire. Apparently Legendary Pictures liked the work he did there.
Legendary has a long history withMichael Dougherty, since he wrote and directed the cult hitTrick ‘r Treat, which was one of the first movies they ever released. The movie didn’t do much at the box office but has found a very big audience in the years since. In 2015, he wrote and directedKrampus, which made $61 million on a relatively small $15 million budget, which made some money for the studio. That, coupled with the work he did in the MonsterVerse writer’s room, he seems like a very logical choice forGodzilla 2. He has never done anything on the level of 2014’sGodzilla, which had a reported budget of $160 million, but neither hadGareth Edwards. In fact, his biggest movie prior to that wasMonsters, which was a much smaller movie thanKrampusand that worked out just fine. Good enough to get him a job directingRogue One: A Star Wars Story, anyway.
Godzillamade a pretty impressive $529 million worldwide and was a dramatic improvement over the last American attempt to bringGodzillato the big screen in 1998. That encouraged Legendary to assemble a cinematic universe around the monster that will continue this year withKong: Skull Island, which is set for release on March 10.Godzilla: King of Monsterswill probably be gearing up for production at some point this year, with the movie currently slated for release onMarch 22, 2019. That will be followed by an epic rematch in the form ofGodzilla Vs. Kong, which is set to debut on August 24, 2025. It is doubtful thatMichael Doughertywill direct that movie as well, since the release date is so close toGodzilla 2, but it isn’t impossible. If the studio decides to shoot them back-to-back it could work, though, that would mean they have quite a bit of confidence inMichael Dougherty. We’ll have to see how the rest of theMonsterVerseshakes out, but now we know that the nextGodzillamovie is on track and in seemingly good hands.
