'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' Star on Conflict Between Monarch Scientists and Soldiers

Godzilla returns in this year's Godzilla: King of the Monsters, a sequel 2014's Godzilla. Godzilla and other kaiju will have to deal with Monarch, an organization made up of scientists and soldiers. O'Shea Jackson plays one of those soldiers, Chief Warrant Officer Barnes, who leads Monarch's "G-Team." During a visit to the Godzilla: King of the Monsters set, Jackson told ComicBook.com that they may have different methods, but all Monarch employees have the same goal. "If the mission is called for to get some DNA samples, I might risk my life I'm sure, but as I now know, it's all about saving the world at the end of the day. And if we can't agree on that, what the heck."

Director Michael Dougherty commented on Monarch's evolution in Legendary's MonsterVerse. "I think the Bible for Monarch is constantly being rewritten with each film. It changes," Dougherty says. "But I really did want this to be the first film that blows open the doors and lets us see what's behind the curtain. And shooting in Monarch's headquarters and underwater base."

"Again, I thought there was something really powerful about the idea of this secret organization which has altruistic intentions and which has noble ideals about trying to understand our place in the world after these creatures have been discovered," the filmmaker continues. "This will be the first film where you finally get to know some of these scientists on a deeply personal level and understand how they interact with each other and how they interact with these monsters-creatures."

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the sequel to 2015's Godzilla. It is also the third film in Legendary's shared cinematic MonsterVerse, following Godzilla and 2017's Kong: Skull Island. Principal photography on Godzilla: King of the Monsters began in Atlanta in July 2017 and continued through late September. The film will pit Godzilla against some of his most famous rival monsters from classic kaiju movies, including the like of Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah, all with humanity caught in the middle.

The film's official synopsis reads, "Members of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species-thought to be mere myths-rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity's very existence hanging in the balance."

Godzilla: King of the Monsters is directed and co-written by Michael Dougherty and stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ken Watanabe, and Zhang Ziyi. The film will set up the crossover movie Godzilla vs. Kong. That film is being directed by Adam Wingard.

Are you excited about Godzilla: King of the Monsters? Do you think of Godzilla as a hero? Let us know in the comments!

Godzilla: King of the Monsters opens in theaters on May 31st. Godzilla vs. Kong is scheduled to release one year later, on May 22, 2020.

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