In a monumental shake-up for Legendary’s lucrative MonsterVerse franchise, director Adam Wingard will not be returning for the next larger-than-life kaiju installment after delivering the hit Godzilla vs. Kong and its sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
According to reports, Wingard’s amicable exit stems from simple timing and scheduling conflicts rather than any creative differences. The filmmaker is already gearing up to shoot his new original action thriller Onslaught for A24 this fall.
With Legendary intent on swiftly moving forward with growing their MonsterVerse after the $564 million global success of New Empire, the production timeline clashed with Wingard’s imminent Onslaught commitment. The studio has already hired Dave Callaham (Shang-Chi) to begin writing the next monster mash-up.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, sources say “the door remains open” for Wingard to potentially return to the franchise he reinvigorated after joining with 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong amid the pandemic.
That crossover event marked an auspicious franchise debut for Wingard, grossing $470 million worldwide and helping reignite theatrical interest as cinemas reopened. He swiftly followed it up by taking the reins of the continuity’s fifth installment, doubling down on further exploring the “Hollow Earth” mythology and humanity’s evolving dynamic with the titanic kaiju forces.
Wingard had teased ambitious narrative avenues he hoped to explore in future MonsterVerse stories, touting New Empire as “the Godzilla version” of Godzilla vs. Kong’s Kong-centric tale. However, his attachment always hinged on an agreed timeline to keep the franchise’s gargantuan scale sustainably churning.
“I definitely have some ideas of where they could go,” the director told IGN last year. “If this movie is successful, I think that the next movie will…push deeper into [Godzilla’s] story.”
Alas, those specific creative intentions will now be left on the cutting room floor. Still, Wingard’s accelerated upgrade of the iconic Japanese property into an A-list Hollywood spectacle over his double-header cannot be understated.
Godzilla x Kong’s half-billion global haul makes it the new highest-grossing entry – a fitting exclamation point on Wingard’s franchise revamp before his departure. As the hunt for his successor begins, the MonsterVerse charges on without missing a beat, with Wingard ensuring both its thunderous rejuvenation and a bright future ahead.
