Godzilla will be returning to the big screen at least two more times, possibly joined by some famed adversaries, Warner Bros. and production house Legendary announced Wednesday, adding that the monstrous lizard will square off in 2020 with another famous over-sized beast — King Kong.
Warner Bros. and Legendary will move their planned monster-movie franchise forward next year with the release of “Kong: Skull Island,” featuring a cast of adventurers including Tom Hiddleston, Sam Jackson, Brie Larson and John Goodman, who venture into the wilderness of the great ape’s home jungle.
Production on the film will begin next week.
“Godzilla 2” will follow in 2018, building on the 2014 installment of the franchise that starred Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, according to the film companies.
The two movie-star monsters will then collide in 2020 with the release of “Godzilla vs. Kong.”
Legendary announced last year that it had acquired the film rights to some famed characters from the Godzilla universe, such as Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah, providing more fodder for the film franchise.
“Audiences really responded to ‘Godzilla,”‘ Legendary CEO Thomas Tull said, referring to the 2014 film. “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.”