Movies
‘Godzilla vs. Kong’: Update on the Behind the Scenes Issues Between WB and Legendary
Warner Bros. made the announcement late last year that they’re bringing their entire current 2021 theatrical slate to both theaters and the WarnerMedia streaming service HBO Max at the very same time, and that includes huge films like Godzilla vs. Kong, Dune, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, James Wan’s Malignant, Mortal Kombat and more.
That all sounds great, yeah? Well, here’s where things get messy. According to various reports that came out in the wake of that huge news, production company Legendary Pictures wasn’t exactly happy about WB’s decision to bring their movies Godzilla vs. Kong and Dune to HBO Max on the same day as theaters, and they were reportedly considering legal action.
Mike Fleming Jr. explained on Deadline last month, “I’m hearing that Legendary Entertainment either has or will send legal letters to Warner Bros as soon as today, challenging the decision to put the Denis Villenueve-directed Dune into the HBO Max deal, and maybe Godzilla Vs Kong as well. On the latter, Legendary reportedly had Netflix ready to pull the film from Warner Bros for around $250 million, before WarnerMedia blocked it. Sources said Legendary had no advance notice before last week’s announcement that both Dune and Godzilla Vs. Kong were part of the HBO Max plan.”
“Legendary certainly seems to have the right to challenge WarnerMedia on its decision: Legendary and its partners provided 75% of the $165 million or so net budget of Dune, the Denis Villenueve-directed adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel that was envisioned to be the first of multiple films exploiting the six-novel series. It put up a similar amount of the funding on the Godzilla Vs. Kong film,” Fleming Jr. continued
A report from Kim Masters and Borys Kit over on THR tonight provides an update on the dilemma. Masters and Kit report, “The studio is nearing a deal with Legendary Entertainment with respect to the release of Godzilla vs. Kong, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.”
The report continues, “An agreement means the parties are close to averting a potential legal confrontation over Warner Media’s surprise decision to put its entire 2021 slate on its HBO Max streamer on the same date that the films open in theaters.”
Head over to The Hollywood Reporter to read the full report while we wait for more.
Godzilla vs. Kong is currently still set for release on May 21, 2021.
Adam Wingard (You’re Next, The Guest) is getting back to his roots with A24‘s Onslaught, and many fans have been wondering if the events of the upcoming film connect in any way to one of Wingard’s previous movies, The Guest. After all, they do seem to be cut from a similar cloth, with some speculating that they might take place in the same universe.
But is there any truth to that speculation? In a new interview out of San Diego Comic-Con this week, Adam Wingard has revealed that the fans are definitely onto something!
Wingard explains, “I look at this as a cap in the trilogy between The Guest and You’re Next. It’s not like a direct sequel, in the sense that it’s a continuation of those characters, but it takes place in the same town as The Guest. The idea is that the secret programs we’re seeing going on here are other little aspects of the same thing David’s character came from in The Guest.”
“So you could actually technically call this a sequel,” Wingard admits. “It’s in the same universe.”
‘The Guest’
Releasing in theaters on September 4, Adam Wingard’s Onslaught is Rated ‘R’ for “Strong bloody violence, some gore, sexual material/nudity, and language.”
Watch the previously released Onslaught trailer below.
The duo behind The Guest, director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett, are re-teaming for the upcoming Onslaught, which stars Adria Arjona in the leading role.
Here’s the synopsis: “When a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers break loose in the desert, a badass Army sniper must unleash hell to protect her young daughter.”
Rebecca Hall (The Night House, Godzilla x Kong) and Dan Stevens (The Guest) also star in Adam Wingard’s upcoming new movie Onslaught alongside Michael Biehn, Reginald VelJohnson, Eric Wareheim, Drew Starkey, and Alex “Poatan” Pereira.
Dan Stevens starred alongside Maika Monroe in 2014 action-thriller The Guest. He played a mysterious ex-soldier with a secret agenda who wreaks havoc on a small town.
‘Onslaught’
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