Godzilla x Kong Director Unpacks Toho’s Influence on the MonsterVerse

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has been taking over the box office since its debut in theaters, and the director behind it all has revealed how much influence Toho has had on the newest entry of the MonsterVerse! Toho and Legendary have continued their partnership following the success of Godzilla vs. Kong, and that has resulted in some new expansions of the MonsterVerse that continue to show off a new take on Godzilla. Projects like the previously released Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and the new Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire take things in a new direction, but Toho still has say over how Godzilla is presented. 

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter about the collaboration with Toho, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire director Adam Wingard revealed that the parent company actually gave the MonsterVerse team “a lot of flexibility” in how they present their take on Godzilla as they made sure that there was nothing out of character for Godzilla itself. Noting that they were “watching out” for Godzilla during the production of the film, Toho allowed the MonsterVerse team to take Godzilla in different directions but had a few limitations. 

How Toho Worked With Godzilla x Kong

“They’re watching out for him,” Wingard began when explaining how it was working with Toho. “They’re making sure you’re not doing anything that’s ultimately out of character, even though the MonsterVerse version of Godzilla is very different than the Minus One or especially the Shin Godzilla, which is a very different character.” Elaborating on it further, the director revealed that there were a few things that Toho believed Godzilla wouldn’t act in a certain way but wouldn’t detail what those moments were. “They’re watching after him, but they still give us a lot of flexibility, and we’re able to really push him in different directions. But at the end of the day, and I can’t say what those are, there are things where they’re like, ‘Godzilla would never do that.’”

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is now available in theaters and IMAX in the United States, and tickets for the film are now on sale. Rated PG-13 for creature violence and action, Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard returns to direct with Simon Barrett writing the script. What did you think of Godzilla in the new film? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on X (formerly known as Twitter)!

via THR