Godzilla fans, your prayers have been answered. Godzilla: King of the Monsters is coming to theaters in May, and the film features just about every giant creature that has ever squared off against the titular behemoth over the years.
Legendary Pictures released the final trailer for King of the Monsters (see above) in late April, just over a month before the movie hits theaters. The preview featured some of the most extensive footage so far of the monsters Godzilla will be pitted against (or possibly allied with) in the film.
Directed by Michael Dougherty (Trick ‘r Treat, Krampus), Godzilla: King of the Monsters follows the efforts of the mysterious crypto-zoological agency Monarch featured in Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island as it attempts to keep humanity safe against a host of gigantic creatures battling it out for supremacy. Along with bringing back the monstrous Godzilla, the story pits the iconic monster against a new set of threats: Mothra, Rodan, and the three-headed dragon King Ghidorah.
And those might not be the only destructive entities waging war across the globe.
The first trailer for the film was released in December 2018.
The human cast of the Legendary Pictures film includes Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai) and Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) reprising their roles from 2014’s Godzilla. Newcomers include Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Conjuring franchise), Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), Bradley Whitford (Get Out), Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton), Aisha Hinds (Star Trek Into Darkness), and Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown, who portrays the telekinetic Eleven in the hit Netflix series, makes her feature film debut in Godzilla.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is set in the aftermath of Godzilla, as well as 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, which was set years before the events of Godzilla. The film is expected to pave the way for a wider universe of giant monster films that will also include a battle between King Kong and Godzilla at some point, as well as other creatures from the Toho Studios stable. Godzilla vs. Kong is currently scheduled to hit theaters in 2020.
The script for Godzilla: King of the Monsters was co-written by Dougherty and his Krampus co-writer, Zach Shields. Taking into account all of the previous films, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the 35th feature-length film based on the character.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters will be released May 31, 2019, in 3D and 2D theaters, as well as select IMAX theaters.
Updated on April 24, 2019: Added the film’s final trailer.
