A sequel to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was greenlit following its massive success at the worldwide box office. But, after delivering two profitable entries featuring MonsterVerse’s leading titans, director Adam Wingard is not returning for a third film. As a result, Legendary has already found his replacement.
I Am Mother director to helm the Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire sequel
The Godzilla x Kong sequel is moving forward quickly with a new face taking on the director’s chair. A24 partnered with Adam Wingard in May 2024 to direct the upcoming action movie, Onslaught. He wished to be back for another MonsterVerse outing, but his collaboration with A24 made him unavailable for the job. Thus, his exit made way for another experienced sci-fi director.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Grant Sputore will direct the Godzilla x Kong sequel. He is known for his critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller, I Am Mother. The film featuring Hilary Swank in the lead debuted at Sundance and began streaming on Netflix in 2019.
Grant Sputore will direct The New Empire sequel based on a script penned by Dave Callaham, whose impressive past work includes Sony and Marvel projects such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, respectively.
As per THR’s reported description, the film following The New Empire is “a continuation of the franchise centering Godzilla, Kong and an assortment of other Titans.” Hence, it will bring back Godzilla as the King of Monsters and Kong as the new King of Hollow Earth. Whether any cast members will be back in the upcoming sequel remains to be seen.
Both Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire hit theaters in challenging times. The former came out right after the pandemic and made $470 million despite a day-and-date release on HBO Max (now MAX).
Meanwhile, the latter had the lowest budget (around $135 million) for a MonsterVerse outing. It made $567.6 million in 2024’s tough market, and almost took down Kong: Skull Island’s $568.6 million from the MonsterVerse’s box office throne.
