King Kong vs Godzilla(2020)

[Henry88]

Well, how about that.

King Kong vs. Godzilla Planned as Skull Island Heads to WB!

A new King Kong vs. Godzilla is being planned as Kong: Skull Island moves from Universal to Warner Bros.

Some big is brewing today as Deadline reports that Legendary's upcoming Kong: Skull Island has moved from Universal to Warner Bros. According to the outlet, that's because Legendary is keen on developing a new King Kong vs. Godzilla movie and are making efforts to keep the gargantuan beasts under the same distributor. Skull Island remains on track for a March 10, 2017 with a sequel to Gareth Edwards' Godzilla planned for June 8, 2018. After that, the Eighth Wonder of the World will take on the King of Monsters in an as-of-yet untitled King Kong vs. Godzilla feature!

Of course, this won't be the first time that these titans have clashed. 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla marked the third Godzilla feature. In that film, the size of both monsters was adjusted to even the odds, however Godzilla is traditionally significantly larger than Kong. May we suggest pulling in Legendary's other Kaiju-friendly franchise, Pacific Rim, and giving Kong his own mecha-ape Jaeger?

Kong: Skull Island, which is being directed by The Kings of Summers' Jordan Vogt-Roberts from a script by John Gatins and Max Borenstein, aims to fully immerse audiences in the mysterious and dangerous home of the king of the apes as a team of explorers ventures deep inside the treacherous, primordial island. Legendary's story honors the foundations of existing King Kong lore, but places it in an entirely new, distinct timeline. Previously, Simmons revealed a surprise setting for the film, saying it would take place in Detroit in 1971; however, given the title of the movie, it's a safe bet that the jungles of King Kong's homeland will be the primary setting.

The Godzilla sequel, meanwhile, is being scripted by Max Borenstein and will feature the return of Edwards as director. It has been hinted that we will see some other famous Kaiju, such as Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah, although none have been fully confirmed at this time.

Source

Deadline:
King Kong On Move To Warner Bros
Presaging Godzilla Monster Matchup

EXCLUSIVE:
In a movie move that portends a clash of giant monsters, Legendary Pictures' Thomas Tull is moving his untitled Skull Island King Kong film to Warner Bros. This is being done to unite the property with Legendary's other giant franchise, Godzilla. In what would be a pretty epic pairing, the Godzilla sequel that is in the works will be followed by a movie that pits the giant ape versus the giant fire breathing reptile. I'm told this is happening very quickly with moves going all the way to Japan, where Godzilla rights holder Toho is based. Legendary, which moved from Warner Bros to Universal, had developed the Skull Island film at the latter studio. It is unclear at the moment what Universal's position will be, but I heard the studio move is being done because it is just easier to have all the pieces under one roof, something that Marvel Studios has done with superheroes like The Hulk. King Kong is in the public domain, while Legendary got the Godzilla rights from Toho.

THR:
'Kong: Skull Island' to Move to Warner Bros. for Planned Monster Movie Universe
The end game: to be able to combine classic screen monsters King Kong and Godzilla into one cinematic universe.

A Monster Universe is coming together.

Talks are underway between Legendary Entertainment, Warner Bros. and Universal to move Legendary's Kong: Skull Island from Universal to Warner Bros., sources confirm to The Hollywood Reporter.

The end game: to be able to combine classic screen monsters King Kong and Godzilla into one cinematic universe.

Godzilla was made by Legendary with Warner Bros. and grossed around $200 million. A sequel is in active development with an eye for a 2018 release.

At the same time, Legendary is making Skull Island, a King Kong movie that is just weeks away from shooting and will star Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson, among others.

When it became clear that all roads led to an eventual crossover with a series of movies on these so-called super species, talks began to move Skull Island. The dealmaking isn't as complicated as one would think: Universal has no financial stake and was only to distribute the movie.

[ManUnderMask]

Ironic thing is, the original was the third Godzilla movie. This new one will also be the third Godzilla movie.

Oh, and WOOOOAHAHAJDOAHAHAOIHAI!!!

[Darth Geek]

So...is King Kong going to be 500 feet tall?! I seriously doubt that.

[ManUnderMask]

So...is King Kong going to be 500 feet tall?! I seriously doubt that.

Maybe normal sized King Kong will pilot a giant MechaKong?

[Henry88]

Will this man be in charge of the Legendary Monster Movie Universe?

From THR 8/19/2015:
Ian Richter Joins Legendary to Oversee Franchise Development
He previously worked at DreamWorks Animation on properties like 'How to Train Your Dragon' and 'Trolls.'

Ian Richter has joined Legendary Entertainment as executive vice president of franchise and emerging platform development. Reporting to Legendary president and COO Jon Jashni and chief marketing officer Emily Castel, he will be involved with select properties across the company's film, television, digital and virtual reality efforts as well as emerging storytelling platforms.

Prior to joining Legendary, Richter was head of franchise creative for DreamWorks Animation where he worked with the filmmakers to bring the How to Train Your Dragon universe to multiple platforms; helped bring in the Trolls IP, which will serve as the basis for an upcoming feature; and served as franchise executive producer for the new DreamWorks-Netflix original series Dinotrux. He also served as director of programming and development at Kids' WB! and CW Television as well as director of entertainment development and supervising producer at Mattel Entertainment, where he developed multiple network series and supervised the creative development and production of live-action and animated movies, television series and direct-to-DVDs including The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Batman and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

"Legendary Entertainment offers its devoted fans premium content via its film, television and digital platforms," Jashni and Castel said in a joint statement. "Adding Ian to oversee the alignment and connective tissue of this content will allow us to streamline these multiple platforms and further exploit our intellectual properties."

[Henry88]

The Hollywood Reporter:
Hollywood Gorilla Warfare: It's Universal vs. Legendary Over 'Kong: Skull Island' (and Who Says "Thank You")
Legendary's Thomas Tull may have annoyed studio brass on 'Jurassic World' as Universal's Donna Langley balks at a pricey ape reboot and Warner Bros. swoops in for a three-picture Godzilla mashup.

In a twist, following Universal's decision to pass on Kong — with a budget north of $125 million — Warners is stepping in with a three-picture deal that kicks off with Kong; followed by a sequel to 2014's Godzilla, the biggest Warners hit originated by Legendary ($529 million worldwide); followed by a mashup that pits the ape against Godzilla. Warners is said to be kicking in 25 percent of budgets as well as marketing costs on the Kong films.

Now that Legendary has moved Kong, that settles a brewing argument over the script's references to Monarch, the secret government entity in Godzilla that employed the characters played by Ken Watanabe and Sally Hawkins. Obviously, the inclusion of Monarch in Kong is a move to tie the ape into a hoped-for Godzilla "universe." Warners, which held onto the right to participate in any Godzilla sequel, did not relish the idea of a Godzilla element in a Universal-backed Kong movie.

A threshold problem is that Kong supposedly is much smaller than Godzilla. That fact was not lost on Universal. "There were funny comments about him having to be the size of the Empire State Building instead of hanging off of it," says a studio insider. But a source close to Tull says Legendary is confident it can come up with a rationale to explain how Kong and Godzilla can do battle — and possibly become allies.

[Henry88]

Welp, here we are, folks: an honest to God press release.

Legendary and Warner Bros. Pictures Announce Cinematic Franchise Uniting Godzilla, King Kong and Other Iconic Giant Monsters

Legendary and Warner Bros. Pictures Announce Cinematic Franchise Uniting Godzilla, King Kong and Other Iconic Giant Monsters

KONG: SKULL ISLAND confirmed for 2017, GODZILLA 2 for 2018, GODZILLA VS. KONG for 2020
October 14, 2015 05:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following Legendary's and Warner Bros. Pictures' 2014 success with the global reinvention of the Godzilla franchise, the companies have come together to create an epic, new shared cinematic franchise. All-powerful monsters become towering heroes for a new generation, revealing a mythology that brings together Godzilla and Legendary's King Kong in an ecosystem of other giant super-species, both classic and new. Monarch, the human organization that uncovered Godzilla in the 2014 film, will expand their mission across multiple releases.

The announcement that the reinvention of monsters continues was made today by Legendary CEO, Thomas Tull, and Kevin Tsujihara, Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. The initial trio of films are 2017's KONG: SKULL ISLAND; GODZILLA 2 in 2018; and then GODZILLA VS. KONG, arriving in theaters in 2020. While Legendary maintains its new home at Universal Pictures, the GODZILLA films remain in partnership with Warner Bros., who will now also distribute KONG as a part of this franchise. Production on KONG: SKULL ISLAND begins October 19th.

Warner Bros. and Legendary released Godzilla in May 2014 with an agreement to release Godzilla 2 on June 8, 2018. Both films feature the human Monarch organization. Shortly following Legendary's pact with NBC Universal, Legendary acquired rights to additional classic characters from Toho's Godzilla universe, including Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah. This paved the way for developing a franchise centered around Monarch and anchored by Godzilla, King Kong, and other famous creatures.

When Legendary announced films centered on Godzilla and Kong, fans all over the world speculated these two characters might one day meet in the same film. Classic Toho monsters including King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan, as announced at Comic-Con 2014, may also join the Legendary pantheon of giant monster mayhem going forward.

"Audiences really responded to Godzilla," stated Tull. "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."

"Working with our partners at Legendary, we enjoyed tremendous creative and commercial success with `Godzilla,'" said Tsujihara. "It's great to be able to revisit these characters and help create a franchise with so many creative possibilities for filmmakers. Fans love these big, globally iconic films and it doesn't get any bigger than this."

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151014006598/en/Legendary-Warner-Bros.-Pictures-Announce-Cinematic-Franchise#.Vh7EwaRLqpT[/quote]

[Darth Geek]

So...Kong IS going to be 500 feet tall? That's half the size of the Empire State Building!

[Darth Geek]

From a comment made by Baytor in the CHUD message board:

All's I know is that Skull Island better end with Gamera in an eye-patch telling Kong that he's putting a team together.

[Darth Geek]

I am really liking that giant monster movies seem to be on the upswing. I'm hoping they become the new in thing for blockbusters. While that would mean we get a lot of crappy ones, I'm interested to see what good ones we get out of this trend. I loved Pacific Rim (although I can understand why some might not like it), and I hope we get more new giant monsters. Maybe they'd dust off the idea of a Cloverfield sequel, not hampered by the found footage gimmick.

[Toyland Chairman]

Am really looking forward to this. Wish it was coming out sooner, though.

[Darth Geek]

Am really looking forward to this. Wish it was coming out sooner, though.

I'm actually glad they are waiting a few years after Skull Island come out. Because if that movie sucks, they have time to scrap this idea.

[Toyland Chairman]

Am really looking forward to this. Wish it was coming out sooner, though.

I'm actually glad they are waiting a few years after Skull Island come out. Because if that movie sucks, they have time to scrap this idea.

I sincerely hope not. GODZILLA VS KONG could be a once in a lifetime experience for me. It's been 58 years since the Toho film. I'd hate to think they'd blow their opportunity now that there are no legal matters to get in the way.

[Darth Geek]

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm hoping Skull Island is good too. I just think this King Kong vs Godzilla idea is not thought out at all, and is just a bunch of dumb executives getting WAY ahead of themselves.

[Toyland Chairman]

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm hoping Skull Island is good too. I just think this King Kong vs Godzilla idea is not thought out at all, and is just a bunch of dumb executives getting WAY ahead of themselves.

What else could there be to think out? If it's an issue about Kong's size, then it will probably never be thought out. Best to just go for it.