After a relatively quiet few years in terms of news about the sequel to 2014’sGodzilla, things have been heating up lately, and the movie is really taking shape. Recently, news broke thatStranger ThingsstarMillie Bobby Brownis joining of the cast ofGodzilla 2, withKyle Chandlerbeing tapped to play her dad. Now the family is rounded out as Legendary Pictures castsVera Farmigato play her mom.
Varietywas the first to break the news thatVera Farmigahas joined the growing cast forGodzilla 2, which is officially titledGodzilla: King of Monsters. As far as returning cast members go, bothAaron Taylor-JohnsonandElizabeth Olsenare expected to sit this one out, butKen Watanabeis expected to return. According to this most recent report from Variety, he is the only cast member from the 2014Godzillathat is expected to return for the sequel. ForVera Farmiga, this will be one of the first big-budget blockbusters she has ever starred in, despite the fact that she has had a very successful career up to this point. She starred inThe ConjuringandThe Conjuring 2, but those didn’t have the budget that something likeGodzilla 2will carry. Not to mention the massive monsters.
DirectorGareth Edwards, who most recently helmedRogue One: A Star Wars Storyfor Disney and Lucasfilm, will not be returning to directGodzilla: King of Monsters. Instead, it will beTrick ‘r TreatandKrampushelmerMichael Doughertytaking over the reigns this time around.Michael DoughertyandZack Shieldswere hired to write the script forGodzilla 2before he was brought on to direct, but many started to speculate that Legendary would also look to him to fill the vacant director’s chair, and that turned out to be correct.Doughertywas also brought on by the studio to head up the writer’s room for their “MonsterVerse,” which includes the upcomingKong: Skull Islandand will culminate in 2020 withGodzilla Vs. Kong.
Prior to the 2014 American reboot ofGodzilla, the franchise had been laying dormant for a very long time. The 1998Godzillathat starredMatthew Broderickand was directed byRoland Emmerichmanaged to kill any version of the legendary monster outside of Japan for quite some time. Thankfully,Gareth Edwards’Godzilla, though not loved by all, did well enough to get the franchise on track.Godzillamade a pretty impressive $529 million worldwide and that was more than enough to give the sequel a green light, but it just took a little longer to get going than fans would have liked. Still, better late than never.
Godzilla: King of Monstersis shaping up quite nicely, not only because all of the cast members who are being brought on board are very promising, but because it will also feature some more classic monsters from theGodzillacatalog.King Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodanare all expected to appear.Godzilla 2will start shooting this summer in Atlanta with a release date set forMay 22, 2019.
