Okay, this is the kind of news that makes me excited to be a horror fan.
Variety is reporting that Trick ‘r Treat director Michael Dougherty will be co-writing the script for Legendary’s Godzilla 2 alongside Zach Shields, Dougherty’s co-writer on Krampus. The two are said to be writing the script, which will then enter a writer’s room whose purpose is to create the Godzilla/King Kong universe where the two will meet and face off in 2020.
Dougherty’s relationship with Legendary began with 2007’s anthology horror film Trick ‘r Treat (which didn’t see a release until 2009), a film that garnered critical acclaim and has since become a Halloween staple. Krampus, which came out in late 2015, also did very well for the company, earning over $61 million against a $15 million budget.
I love the films of Michael Dougherty and having spoken to him a few times, I know how passionate he gets when working on something. If he’s a big Godzilla fan, then I honestly don’t know how this could be bad. At the very least, it’ll be incredibly entertaining!
The 2014 Godzilla was directed by Gareth Edwards and received mediocre reviews. Many praised the visuals while others lamented the lack of the titular character. Personally, I found it to be okay. It certainly wasn’t great and I wanted a lot more out of it but I will also admit that the Godzilla design, especially his roar (listen to it below), was nothing short of awe-inducing.
With Godzilla eventually merging into the King Kong world, Legendary is also building that storyline up with the upcoming adventure thriller Kong: Skull Island, which will be coming out March 10th, 2017.
