The sequel to 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, directed by Adam Wingard, was released on March 29, 2024. It serves as the fifth movie in MonsterVerse, along with being the 38th movie in the Godzilla franchise and the 13th in the King Kong franchise. The movie follows the story of Kong uniting with Godzilla to stop a frost-breathing Titan from destroying its surface
The movie opened up to mixed reviews from the audience and critics, with a lot of them comparing the recent release with 2023’s Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One. However, the director shared that he was excited to return for the follow-up movie and said he has his 2021 movie to thank for being back. He also touched upon the changes brought in for the main character.
Adam Wingard talks about the principle that the team used while designing Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
In his recent interview with The Wrap, the director of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire spoke about the principle that guided him and his team of writers while designing the movie: simplicity. He explained,
“And that’s not just about the human stories, but about the monster stories too. We wanted there to be simplicity in the actual plot and how many characters that there were so that you could get more intimate with them.”
The director recalled one mistake he made with 2021 movie i.e., including too many characters. He rectified this in The New Empire, as the number of characters was reduced, and reportedly parallel narrative paths were forged that fed into one another instead of competing. Actors Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens, Brian Tyree Henry play significant roles in the movie.
He mentioned that after Godzilla vs. Kong, he found this sense of confidence in terms of how to approach the monsters as fully realized characters and how to tell a movie from their point of view. The director also touched upon the fact that there have been some changes to Godzilla, which he said Toho was okay with. Explaining the same, he said,
“We didn’t do anything that was so out of left field that they would balk at, because ultimately, the changes to Godzilla are relatively subtle. There’s some proportional change or some extra spikes. Obviously, there’s pink, which is the biggest thing.”
He noted that, as a fan, he has loved all the different iterations of the reptilian monster over the years and was eager to put his spin on it. He mentioned he wanted the evolution of his design to be the propulsive point of the story.
Adam Wingard talks about potential Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire sequel
In an interview with IGN, the director was asked about the potential sequel to the movie, and he said that he has ideas on how the story can move forward. Explaining the same, he said,
“I definitely have some ideas of where they could go. In the way that Kong is treated in this movie, if this movie is successful, I think that the next movie will be the Godzilla version of what we did with this movie, kind of pushing deeper into his story.”
He continued to explain that he feels that Kong’s story is still just the beginning, even though he thinks he is coming to his own as the king to a certain degree. Wingard said that it’s going to be interesting to see how Kong will work with the group and how he will see himself as a leader.
The director revealed in his The Wrap interview that his cat, Mischief, has been a great influence while making the movie. He revealed that when they were trying to figure out where to put the King of Monsters to hibernate, they started talking about the Roman Colosseum which is when he saw his cat in her cat nest curled up with her tail hanging. That inspired the scene when Godzilla decides to take a nap in the Roman Colosseum.
Adam Wingard later found out that Takashi Yamazaki was also inspired by his cat while making Godzilla Minus One.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is playing in cinema.
Frequently asked questions
Does director Adam Wingard think Godzilla’s design changed too much in The New Empire?
No, Wingard has said the changes to Godzilla are relatively subtle, pushing back on criticism that the sequel altered the character too drastically. He pointed to specific tweaks like proportional adjustments, added spikes, and pink coloring, all of which reportedly required approval from Godzilla’s rights holder, Toho, before being used in the film.
What guiding principle did Wingard use when designing Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire?
Wingard has said simplicity guided both the human and monster storylines. He acknowledged that 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong included too many characters, so for The New Empire he reduced the cast and built parallel narrative paths for Kong and Godzilla that complemented each other instead of competing for screen time.
Has Adam Wingard discussed ideas for a sequel to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire?
Wingard has said he already has ideas for where the story could go next, suggesting a future film might focus on developing Godzilla’s character the way this movie expanded Kong’s arc. He noted Kong’s journey as a leader is only beginning, and he’s interested in exploring how Kong adapts to group dynamics among the Titans.
