The MonsterVerse may stay silly a while longer, as Godzilla x Kong director Adam Wingard wants to stick around

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire looks rad, but I can see how it's not for everyone, especially if you aren't familiar with like 90% of Toho's Godzilla franchise and would rather stick to more serious affairs, such as Godzilla Minus One. Well, sorry if you're in that boat, as the American movies might be staying balls-to-the-wall silly for a bit longer.

Legendary's MonsterVerse has done a bit of everything over the years, but the numbers (as well as the critical and public reception) say it finally blew up with 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong, which performed quite well theatrically despite a day-and-date release on HBO Max and dropping in the middle of the Covid pandemic. Of course, the powers that be wanted director Adam Wingard (of The Guest fame) to stick around for a second crossover flick, and it sounds like he's been enjoying the ride so much that he wants to try and finish a trilogy of sorts.

This news came straight from the filmmaker's mouth during an interview about Godzilla x Kong, which releases on March 27, with DiscussingFilm. While Wingard is currently attached to a number of blockbuster projects that may or may not move forward, he makes it sound like the MonsterVerse has his full attention as long as WB, Legendary, and Toho want him back for more: "The whole idea that if you’ve done two movies, like, maybe you should just go ahead and do a third because, as you said, there’s a trilogy in there. I definitely think there’s more story to this, and I think that I have more story to tell. But it just depends on how [Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire] does and how things kind of shape out."

It's a diplomatic, but revealing answer, as the creatives involved in these huge movie series are generally less inclined to talk about follow-ups until the box office numbers start coming in. Whether critics and audiences will connect with this new MonsterVerse entry as much as they have with Godzilla vs. Kong remains to be seen, but it sure sounds like everyone in charge of guiding the gargantuan franchise is happy with Wingard's work so far.

Personally, I always thought one of the MonsterVerse' biggest strengths was jumping from one director to an entirely different one for each entry, giving the whole thing a colorful flavor. While I did enjoy Godzilla vs. Kong and can't wait for this second crossover, I also fear the series might get stuck for a bit too long in the lighthearted 'Showa-era territory' and lose some of the gravitas and ground-level wonder (and fear) that made other entries stand out. At the same time, however, everyone should be aware that the vast majority of the Japanese kaiju movies are profoundly silly and fun romps, so Wingard is very much honoring the bulk of the source material here.

Meanwhile, Godzilla Minus One (which exists in the opposite side of the spectrum when it comes to tone) has ended an impressive global run for Toho-produced Godzilla movies and taken home a 'Best Visual Effects' Oscar. You'll have to wait a bit longer to watch it at home (or anywhere else, really) if you missed out and are outside of Japan though.