Everyone’s favorite ancient reptilian beast, Godzilla, is officially set to return to the big screen this spring after a five-year hiatus. This time around, it looks like the titular monster will be getting a lot more screen time—and so will a gang of new ancient predators, including Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah. In addition to the new monsters, Godzilla: King of the Monsters will feature almost an entirely new cast from its 2014 predecessor.
The first Godzilla film in this series, Godzilla, was released in 2014 and grossed over $520 million. When a movie makes over half a billion dollars, you can almost guarantee a sequel is on the way. Now that it’s actually coming to theaters soon, we dove into the background of the much-anticipated sequel.
Here’s everything you need to know about the film before catching it in theaters this spring
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Silver Screen Collection / Getty
The Origin of Godzilla
Many may view Godzilla as just a Hollywood cash cow, or as a simple sci-fi flick about a fictitious animal, but the now-iconic reptilian character originally represented much more. The original Godzilla film from 1954 was actually a reference to Japan’s fear of nuclear annihilation, following a surge in nuclear weapons production (and destruction) during the 1940s and 1950s (and, ya know, the whole WWII thing). Throughout the decades since, Godzilla’s popularity exploded in pop culture and has seen countless renditions in novels, comic books, TV shows, and, of course, movies to this day.
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Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Godzilla (2014)
The Movie: The 2014 iteration, Godzilla, focuses on a couple who works at a nuclear plant that mysteriously collapsed, unfortunately killing the wife (Juliette Binoche). After 15 years of obsessive searching, the husband (Bryan Cranston) comes to realize that the cause of the destruction was an ancient monster. In the present day, a pair of monsters emerge, leaving Godzilla to defend the world against the destructive monsters.
Godzilla’s initial reception was a mixed bag, with most of the criticism pointing to lack a of character development and lack of screen time for Godzilla. Although the movie did feature Cranston, he died midway through the movie. As for Godzilla, you couldn’t really get a clean look at him until the final fight. A completely new cast and a team of three monsters for Godzilla to take on would address some of the issues.
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Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters Plot Synopsis
Godzilla: King of the Monsters will pivot from focusing on one family to following a crypto-zoological agency, Monarch, as it attempts to face-off against Godzilla, who wreaked havoc in the last film. Godzilla will be up against the monsters Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah as they all fight for the supremacy of Earth. Details on origins of the new predators aren’t available, but they most likely originate from nuclear activity and radiation—a linchpin in the first film.
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(L) Alberto E. Rodriguez (M) Miguel Medina (R) Isiah Trickey / Getty
New Ensemble Cast
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is back this time around with an almost completely new ensemble featuring Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Kyle Chandler (Game Night), O’Shea Jackson Jr (Den of Thieves), Vera Farmiga (The Conjuring), Ziyi Zhang (The Cloverfield Paradox), Thomas Middleditch (Replicas), and more.
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Matt Mawson / Getty
Filming Locations
According to IMDB, filming for this movie took place in México City, Mexico, Atlanta, Georgia, and Tunnel Hill, Georgia.
So far, Warner Bros. has dropped off a teaser trailer and two full-length trailers for this film. Although they’re just trailers, this movie already looks to be way more action packed than the last, and the visuals look spectacular. YouTube doesn’t quite do them justice, so get to the theaters early next time and hope that they play one of these trailers.
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Courtesy of Warner Bros.
The Epic Posters
It’s not confirmed how many prehistoric predators will be in this film, but we know for sure that Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah are guarantees. Each monster earned its own poster.
— Godzilla II: King of The Monsters (@GodzillaMovieUK) December 10, 2018
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Courtesy of Warner Bros.
The Monster Universe
Today in Hollywood, a single entity sometimes isn’t enough to land people in seats for action films. Franchises like the Avengers, Justice League, and even The Mummy are all jam-packed with multiple series within them, and Godzilla is no exception. Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a sequel to 2014’s Godzilla, and also a setup for Godzilla vs. Kong, which is rumored to be releasing in 2020. Kong: Skull Island was released in 2017. Although it may seem like a random mashup, this pair has already starred in a Japanese movie together titled King Kong vs. Godzilla that released in 1962.
In an interview, Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty revealed that there will be a single character from Kong: Skull Island making an appearance in the Godzilla sequel, but he didn’t confirm the exact character.
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Godzilla: Aftershock
For the fans out there that can’t wait until the release of the film, Godzilla: Aftershock should hold you over. Aftershock is a graphic novel produced by Legendary Comics that fills you in on what’s been going on in the world between Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The novel focuses on Dr. Emma Russell, played by Vera Farmiga, as she uncovers clues and secrets that will ultimately lead to the events of the movie. No official release date has been set, but according totoywiz.com, the novel will be available sometime in April, the month before the release of the film.
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Robyn Beck / Getty
A Change in Direction
Godzilla director Gareth Edwards won’t be leading this film. Instead, Micheal Dougherty will be taking over this project. He’s best known for directing Trick ‘r Treat (2007) and Krampus (2015), and for writing the screenplay for both Superman Returns and X2: X-Men United.
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Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Release Date
Godzilla: King of the Monsters hits theaters on May 31 and is predicted to net upwards of $700 million, according to IMDB.
