'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' Director Explains Sequel's Place in Monsterverse Timeline

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a crucial step for Warner Bros.' Monsterverse franchise, as it will be the chapter where humanity's encounters with the iconic Toho movie monsters finally reaches its head. Godzilla 2 will not only have to serve as a sequel to Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla, but also has to set the stage for the epic crossover milestone that is Godzilla vs. Kong next year.

Given that pivotal place Godzilla 2 holds within the franchise, and the somewhat jumbled slow rollout of the Monsterverse, some fans may not be too clear on where King of the Monsters falls, in terms of the franchise timeline. While visiting the Godzilla: King of the Monsters set during filming, we had a chance to clarify any Monsterverse timeline question with director Mike Doughtery.

According Dougherty: "This film roughly takes place in real time. The first film takes place in 2014 and we're saying this film takes place roughly five years after. So, 2019, our release date."

It's not surprising to hear that this particular installment of the Monsterverse takes place in real-time after the events of Godzilla, given the nature of the Godzilla 2 storyline. Kong: Skull Island is the first chapter, taking place in 1973, and the upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong is going to also seemingly follow a real-time pacing after King of the Monsters, if the story synopsis is any indication:

"In a time when monsters walk the Earth, humanity's fight for its future sets Godzilla and Kong on a collision course that will see the two most powerful forces of nature on the planet collide in a spectacular battle for the ages. As Monarch embarks on a perilous mission into uncharted terrain and unearths clues to the Titans' origins, a human conspiracy threatens to wipe the creatures, both good and bad, from the face of the earth forever."

All in all, it's a pretty tightly-knit timeline for the Monsterverse to span - with room left over for more sequels, as well as prequels that fit in the span between Skull Island and Godzilla.

In terms of King of the Monsters' connection to Godzilla: The five years since the emergence of the MUTOS and revelation of Godzilla has inspired some major changes over at Monarch. The organization that began as a few researchers with some outlandish ideas has now become a globe-spanning force, responsible for containing and/or studying the "Titan" creatures that are emerging into our world with greater frequency. From what we saw on our set visit, this new Monarch will have enough awesome tech to make Marvel's SHIELD blush.

You can catch so much more of our Godzilla 2 s set visit info by visiting our official Godzilla: King of the Monsters page. The film hits theaters on May 31st.

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