While Kaiju fans prepare themselves for the upcoming fifth film installment in the MonsterVerse franchise, aptly dubbed Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the director of the endeavor, Adam Wingard, previously attached to Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), revealed what the title of the new movie means.
The fourth installment’s box office and streaming success spurred the recent sequel, and while Wingard may have plans to aim for a trilogy, it is still too early to determine the series’ future.
Nevertheless, with the triumphant crescendo of Godzilla: Minus One still ringing in fans’ ears, it will be intriguing to see how the latest outing fares in the overarching landscape of Kaiju films.
In a recent interview, Wingard emphasized the team-up between the two monsters about to grace the big screen—a contrast to the earlier iteration that saw them go head-to-head in a showdown—as he divulged the reasoning for the title and its pronunciation.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Director Explained The Movie’s Title
Talking to CBR, Adam Wingard revealed what the ‘x’ in the title of his latest movie, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, represents.
As the latest film delves into the two iconic entities joining forces to take down a formidable foe, the director asserted that the ‘x’—which is silent—stands for collaboration. It’s a common practice for brands and businesses that collaborate with artists, the director explained in the interview. In the world of films, however, not as much. At least, that’s what Wingard feels.
Following was his statement:
“I’m surprised, now that I look back on it, that nobody’s ever used an x in their title like this before, at least to my knowledge. It comes from the shorthand of x standing for a collaboration, like there’s a lot of shoe companies that do special collaborations with artists, and people like that.”
On the significance of the ‘x’ and how it connects to the fourth film installment in the MonsterVerse, Adam Wingard claimed:
“It rose from that, and obviously, it’s just pronounced Godzilla Kong. But I tend to say GxK all the time, because I think it sounds cool. The last movie was GvK, so it just helps tie that in.”
Since the sequence of the two movies under Wingard’s helm goes from a versus to a team-up, the ‘x’ in the latest film’s title makes ample sense. In a separate interview, the director teased the prospect of a third film to top off his MonsterVerse journey and round it up to a full-fledged trilogy. He confirmed that the decision to proceed relies on how well the 2024 sequel performs.
Will There Be A Follow-Up To Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire?
Talking to DiscussingFilm on the prospect of helming a third MonsterVerse movie and the follow-up to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Adam Wingard teased that in his mind, he believes there’s more to tell. He couldn’t assure much yet, as everything hinges on the acclaim and fanfare of the latest outing. Nevertheless, he assured being more than willing to return for another sequel.
Following was his statement:
“The whole idea that if you’ve done two movies … maybe you should just go ahead and do a third because … there’s a trilogy in there. I definitely think there’s more story to this, and I think … I have more story to tell. But it depends on how [Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire] does.”
He continued,
“… If I’m going to be completely honest with you, I do have more story to tell with these monsters, and I know where I’d go with it. I would be very excited to be able to come back on for another one if things worked out!”
While the latest endeavor doesn’t intend to outshine Godzilla vs. Kong, as the director wanted to take a ‘different’ and ‘unique’ approach in portraying these entities (via io9), most fans believe that the upcoming release will live up to the thrill and excitement of the first one. It’s only a waiting game now.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire promises to showcase the epic alliance of Godzilla and Kong and releases in theaters across the U.S. on March 29, 2024. You can check out the trailer below:
