Although Godzilla vs. Kong started off with the two titular Titans coming to blows, by the end of the fourth MonsterVerse movie, they later joined forces to battle a common enemy, Mechagodzilla. For Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, one of the major tentpole releases on the 2024 movies schedule, these gigantic beasts will team up once again, though that’s not to say they’re now on great terms with one another. In fact, their begrudging alliance was inspired by a classic buddy cop movie, and now I’m even more pumped for the next MonsterVerse installment.
In an interview with Empire, director Adam Wingard mentioned that 1987’s Lethal Weapon is one of his favorite buddy cop movies, and he channeled the dynamic between Mel Gibson’s Martin Riggs and Danny Glover’s Roger Murtaugh for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. As he explained:
There’s a bit of a truce — Godzilla’s in control of the surface world and Kong is down in Hollow Earth. It wasn’t, ‘Okay, give me a call when something goes wrong, Kong. And I, Godzilla, will rush to the rescue!’ … The buddy-cop dysfunctional relationship dynamic is probably the best one to describe Godzilla and Kong. My influences are always embedded with the ‘80s, and the ‘80s were prime for [that] storyline. There’s a lot of misunderstanding – the way that the monsters communicate isn’t straightforward.
So when we reunite with the MonsterVerse’s versions of Godzilla and Kong, there’s an understanding that these two are supposed to remain on their respective turfs, with Godzilla calling the shots on the surface and Kong running things down in Hollow Earth following Skull island becoming inhospitable. They’ll have to come together again for the greater good, but just like how Riggs and Murtaugh’s partnership got off to a rough start in the first Lethal Weapon movie, it won’t be smooth sailing this time around for the reptile and gorilla. Side note, my money’s on Godzilla being the one most likely to say, “I’m getting too old for this shit.”
Godzilla and Kong will have to put aside their differences when a fellow member of Kong’s species known as the Skar King starts causing trouble for both the Titans and humanity. While it remains to be seen what makes the Skar King such a formidable threat, the good news is that our two towering protagonists will up their game in the movie. Godzilla is now glowing pink, which some fans speculate is because he can now channel gamma radiation, and Kong will somehow obtain the B.E.A.S.T. Glove, which I suspect will boost his strength.
In addition to the aforementioned Titans, along with the “Mini-Kong” known as Suko, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’s cast of human characters includes Rebecca Hall’s Dr. Ilene Andrews, Brian Tyree Henry’s Bernie Hayes, Kaylee Hottle’s Jia and Dan Stevens’ Trapper, as well as Alex Ferns, Fala Chen and Rachel House in undisclosed roles. Adam Wingard crafted the story with Terry Rossio and Simon Barrett, and the latter two wrote the script with Jeremy Slater.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire opens in theaters on March 29. Remember that the first four MonsterVerse movies can be streamed with a Max subscription, and if you’re interested in checking out the franchise’s TV shows, Skull Island and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, you’ll need a Netflix subscription and Apple TV+ subscription, respectively.