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Michael Dougherty on How, and Why, King Kong Will Fight Godzilla [Interview]

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Michael Dougherty has directed and co-written the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters, but he didn’t stop there. The filmmaker who brought us Trick ‘r Treat and Krampus also co-wrote the upcoming sequel Godzilla vs. Kong, so he knows exactly how – and why – that long-awaited, epic rematch is going to go down.

And he knows the match-up doesn’t quite seem fair. Godzilla has atomic super breath, while King Kong is just a giant ape. Bloody-Disgusting asked him how he planned to make King Kong a serious contender for the title of “King of the Monsters,” and he already knew the answer.

“I think part of the fun of watching that fight go down is we are witnessing a potential underdog battle,” Dougherty said.

“We’re looking at an almost David vs. Goliath situation. Because everyone, the moment you say Godzilla’s going to fight Kong, your first reaction is Kong doesn’t stand a chance. Godzilla’s got his radioactive breath, et cetera, et cetera.”

“But then if you really take the time to look at Kong as a character, it’s like, okay, in Skull Island he was an adolescent, so he was still growing. So who knows how big he is since the 1970s when they first met him?” Dougherty explained.

“Kong is extremely intelligent,” the director added. “As a primate, he’s a tool-user. So he’s got speed, he’s got agility, he might have some good size.”

“And I like a good underdog battle,” Dougherty teased, comparing this fight to another iconic heavyweight battle. “You know, it’s like watching Rocky go up against Ivan Drago. It seems like it’s unfair but clearly, this means the underdog might have a few surprises.”

Maybe Kong has a chance after all, but that still doesn’t explain why they’re fighting in the first place. If Godzilla is Earth’s protector, and Kong was the protagonist of his own film franchise, why are they fighting? Are these two titans only coming to blows because it’s cool?

“I think there’s something primal in human beings to want to see a fight like that,” Dougherty said. “I think it goes back to all of our myths and legends, ancient Greek myths about gods battling each other. It’s just part of who we are as a species. Half the reason I think people watch the Planet Earth nature specials is to watch animals going up against each other, to see crocodiles going up against water buffaloes.”

“So there’s that, but it just seems like it’s written in the stars for this to happen,” Dougherty continued. “It’s no accident that Kong was a direct inspiration for Godzilla, that the Japanese filmmakers watched King Kong and were hugely inspired by him and The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and came up with Godzilla as an answer to that. So it just seems like it’s destiny.”

“And storywise,” Dougherty added, “the hope is that their motivations for fighting each other are sound, and not contrived. But when you have two extremely hyper-aggressive masculine territorial animals who both believe that they’re the rightful rulers of an entire species, chances are they’re going to do more than have afternoon tea.”

Godzilla: King of the Monsters chomps its way into theaters on May 31, 2019.

William Bibbiani writes film criticism in Los Angeles, with bylines at The Wrap, Bloody Disgusting and IGN. He co-hosts three weekly podcasts: Critically Acclaimed (new movie reviews), The Two-Shot (double features of the best/worst movies ever made) and Canceled Too Soon (TV shows that lasted only one season or less). Member LAOFCS, former Movie Trivia Schmoedown World Champion, proud co-parent of two annoying cats.

Interviews

‘Immaculate’ Director Michael Mohan on Religious Horror and Why You Can’t Pull Punches [Halloweenies Podcast]

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Immaculate SXSW Horror

This weekend, Neon is releasing its highly anticipated new slice of horror Immaculate. Directed by Michael Mohan, Sydney Sweeney stars as an American nun named Cecilia who joins a remote convent in the Italian countryside. What begins as a warm welcome quickly devolves into a living nightmare as Cecilia discovers her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors. You can see it with a crowd this Friday.

In anticipation, Halloweenies co-host/executive producer Michael Roffman sits down with director Michael Mohan to discuss how he approached making his first horror film. Together, the two chat about the effects of religious horror in 2024, Sweeney’s Scream Queen magic, the ending everyone’s going to be talking about, and why Horror needs zero rules. He also offers some choice Horror recommendations.

Stream the episode below or subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, and this past year’s Chucky! This year? The Alien franchise.

You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Gremlins, Jaws), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Invasion of the Body Snatchers ), and even spinoffs like their recent run Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast.

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