It’s been nearly 60 years since Godzilla and King Kong first fought one another in a theatrical setting, but 2021 will mark the first time these two come to blows within an American production. It still remains to be seen when the first Godzilla vs. Kong trailer will arrive, but luckily, we haven’t gone entirely without glimpses this year of what the coming battle will look like. Concept art of the Titans clashing was released back in June, and now we finally some new footage to chew on.
Around this time last year, the first Godzilla vs. Kong footage leaked online, showing the eponymous beasts about to begin an earthshaking battle. That footage came from the CCXP convention in Brazil, and fast-forward to now, the latest Godzilla vs. Kong video snippet was shown off at the same convention’s digital presentation (via @RickDaSquirrel). Take a look:
Once again, we’re being teased for just mere seconds, but it’s a nice reminder of the crossover that’s set to take the MonsterVerse to new heights. In one corner, Godzilla swims to whatever battlefield he’s needed next, and in another corner, King Kong is roaring at his adversary… or maybe some humans giving him grief, it’s hard to say. By the way, you can tell that the King Kong portion of the footage comes from Godzilla vs. Kong rather than just repurposed from Kong: Skull Island by the ships in the background. Kong was contained exclusively to Skull Island in his 2017 MonsterVerse debut, but Godzilla vs. Kong will see him being taken away from his home turf.
Like Godzilla and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong will be set in the present day. Kong: Skull Island, on the other hand, was set in 1973, meaning that within the MonsterVerse timeline, the gargantuan gorilla will be close to, if not a little over 50 years older than when we first met him. As such, not only will Kong be more “rugged” and “battle worn,” he’ll also have gone through quite the growth spurt, meaning he’ll be able to look Godzilla in the eye when he throws a punch.
It still hasn’t been revealed yet Godzilla and King Kong are fighting in the MonsterVerse, but unlike in Japan’s King Kong vs. Godzilla, there will be a victor declared. No doubt the events of Godzilla: King of the Monsters paved the way for these two crossed paths, as it was revealed in that movie’s end credits that numerous Titans were converging on Skull Island. Kong’s not an extrovert, so having even more giant monsters infringing on his personal space is sure to put him in a bad mood.
What we do know about Godzilla vs. Kong is the story will also explore members of the Monarch scientific organization embarking on a journey to uncover clues about the Titans’ origins, and a human conspiracy will be uncovered to eradicate these creatures from the face of the Earth. Adam Wingard directed the feature off a script written by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, and the Godzilla vs. Kong cast includes Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Alexander Skarsgård, Eiza González, Brian Tyree Henry, Rebeca Hall, Shun Oguri, Jessica Henwick, Julian Dennison, Demián Bichir, Zhang Ziyi and Lance Reddick.
Godzilla vs. Kong will be released on May 21, 2021 in both theaters and on HBO Max as part of Warner Bros’ ambitious rollout plan for all its movies next year, which Legendary Pictures is reportedly not too pleased about. Find out what other movies are coming out next year in our 2021 release schedule.
