They don’t call Godzilla the King of Monsters for fun. Over the years, the roaring kaiju has become a fan-favorite character, but his adversaries are just as popular. And, if everything goes goes as planned, then Mothra and King Ghidorah will get their own solo films.
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Recently, the studio behind Shin Godzilla let fans know about its plans for a Godzilla Cinematic Universe. Toho‘s Keiji Ota confirmed the success of Shin Godzilla proved the kind of potential such a franchise would hold.
Speaking to Nikkei Style, Ota said this new Godzilla franchise will move fast and reboot versions of the classic Godzilla movies produced decades ago. With plans to being this new universe in 2021, Toho’s so-called Chief Godzilla Officer said King Ghidorah and Mothra are being eyed for solo features down the line (via Newsweek).
Such an idea shouldn’t be hard to grasp given the success of Marvel Studios has had. After debuting Iron Man in 2008, the MCU has gone on to release over a dozen films and bank billions at the box office worldwide. Ota says that kind of masterful world-building is what Toho wants to do with Godzilla.
“The future of the series and its forwarding developments are very conscious of the method of “shared universe.” Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, etc. could all share a single world view much like a Marvel movie where Iron Man and the Hulk can crossover with each other.”
For now, Toho is working on its own world-building while Godzilla romps around the US. Next year, Godzilla will make a comeback after Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment released Godzilla in 2016. This sequel, titled Godzilla: King of the Monsters, will feature kaijus such as Rodan and King Ghidorah. And, when 2020 rolls in, Godzilla will go head-to-head against King Kong in a truly epic crossover.
If you’re interested in more Godzilla, the next chance to see new content from the heralded franchise will come when the second piece of Godzilla‘s anime trilogy hits Netflix. Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters was the first of an animated trilogy from Toho and was released in Japan on November 2017 (and on Netflix domestically in 2018). It is directed by Kobun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita, with Toho Animation and Polygon Pictures handling production duties. It also features a strong voice cast for the Japanese version which includes Yuuki Kaji, Takahiro Sakurai, Mamoru Miyano, Junichi Suwabe, Kana Hanazawa, and Tomokazu Sugita.
