Godzilla vs Kong forgoes post-credits scene due to uncertain future

In 2015, Legendary and Warner Bros. Pictures called their picture: Not only Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla earn a sequel, but the franchise would expand to include a new King Kong film and pay for it all by pitting the titans against each other in 2020.

Shockingly, with the exception of a few schedule reshuffles due to a global pandemic, the plan worked. Jordan Vogt-Roberts sculpted a ’70s backstory Kong: Skull Island, Michael Dougherty pitted the Monarch monster hunting organization against a handful of kaiju Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Adam Wingard slammed cinematic mythology together in the new Godzilla vs. Kong.

So, is this the end of the “Monsterverse”? The film’s final scenes may not be what fans of open franchise storytelling might expect, offering a real sense of closure. But Wingard tells Polygon that “final” might not be the right word.

[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers for Godzilla vs. Kong]

Image: Legendary Pictures / Warner Bros. Pictures

Instead of tacking on a post-credits scene alluding to this could come next, Godzilla vs. Kong offers the thrill of a happy ending. After the two titans grapple with their long-standing Hatfield and McCoy feud, they join forces to crush MechaGodzilla into a mech. With Earth safe again, Godzilla descends into the ocean and Kong returns to the center of the Earth. Everything is at peace!

The Monsterverse is the result of an elaborate agreement between Legendary and Toho Ltd. which grants the Hollywood company access to the intellectual property of Godzilla. Details of the deal remain unclear, but at a macro level, it kept Toho from making his own Japanese Godzilla films while the Monsterverse plans unfolded. Toho has reported that he intends to pump his own Godzilla movies after the release of Godzilla vs. Kong, casting doubt on whether the deal could be renewed and the Monsterverse could continue to some extent. A sweet conclusion to the royal rumble of Godzilla and King Kong may have been dictated more by contracts than storytelling preference, but Wingard tells Polygon that in the end his movie was never meant to be. as a final entry.

“It was more designed in the sense that Avengers: Endgame was kind of intended as a climax, not necessarily an end, for the Marvel movies, ”he says. “This has been the trajectory of the films, and I’m very lucky to be the one who kind of was able to do it. But that doesn’t mean it’s over. But we’re at a crossroads where, you know, the public has to show up and fill in the financial side of things. If it’s successful then you bet there will be more.

While the future of American Godzilla films is unclear, for Wingard, the critical success of Godzilla vs. Kong will lead him to several other projects. According to the filmmaker, he and his longtime collaborator Simon Barrett (You are next, The guest) have a number of scripts in development, including an original film written during pandemic rest days; Face / Off 2, which will continue the story from John Woo’s 1997 action film; and the recently announced Thundercats movie, which should take animation in a whole new way. “It’s kind of like one of my lifelong goal movies that we’re about to start writing,” says Wingard.

As for more Godzilla and Kong? “I would also love to do more. I had such a great experience on this film. I have chosen so many tools to make this type of film, and I am ready to do more. “