Adam Wingard, the director of 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong and this year’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, will not be returning to direct the sequel. Legendary’s MonsterVerse is full steam ahead as the studio plans to expand the universe with more monster royal rumbles, though future installments won’t be helmed by Wingard due to scheduling conflicts.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Adam Wingard will not return for the sequel to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire despite being the only filmmaker to direct more than one movie in the MonsterVerse. The report states that the split between Wingard and Legendary was amicable, though the studio it’s door is open for the director if he wants to return to the franchise.
Unfortunately, Wingard’s schedule conflicted with Legendary’s plan to produce the next MonsterVerse movie as soon as possible. Wingard reportedly wanted to direct Onslaught, an action/thriller movie recently picked up by A24, before doing another Godzilla x Kong movie, which means he wouldn’t have been able to keep up with Legendary’s tighter production timeline.
It seems like the floor is open for another director to step into the spotlight. The MonsterVerse officially kicked off with 2014’s Godzilla, which was directed by Rogue One: A Star Wars Story filmmaker Gareth Edwards. This was followed by 2017’s Kong: Skull Island from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, who is currently set to direct a live-action adaptation of Metal Gear Solid. 2019 saw the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters from Trick ‘r Treat director Michael Dougherty.
According to Box Office Mojo, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was a great financial success, bringing in $563 million worldwide on an estimated budget of $135 million. It told the story of an ancient civilisation of ape-like monsters hiding in Hollow Earth who rise to challenge Godzilla and Kong’s authority on the surface.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
