Looks like it’s one and done for Kong: Skull Island‘s Jordan Vogt-Roberts after the director all but ruled himself out of future installments in the MonsterVerse.
Appearing on the latest episode of Screen Junkies News (via Screen Rant), the filmmaker hinted that he’s ready to spend some time away from Hollywood’s blockbuster scene and the MonsterVerse in particular. That’s understandable, really, particularly when you consider the fact that Skull Island heralded Vogt-Roberts’ first true crack at a big-budget production. The end result was an entertaining, if flawed resurrection of cinema’s great ape, and while the director is clearly looking forward to some downtime far, far away from Legendary’s newly-formed world of gods and monsters, Jordan Vogt-Roberts was wary of ruling himself out of the equation entirely when it comes to 2020’s Godzilla Vs. Kong – “never say never,” as he so aptly put.
Per Screen Junkies:
“I think I’m done with giant monsters for a little bit. Look, I’m really proud of this world, and I’m super proud of, I think in general, and this is out there too, the response being “Why do we need a new Kong movie?” and that was my response. I’m really proud of how weird this movie is and how much people embraced that stuff and actually called out how strange the movie is, and I wanted it to have a voice. I’m so proud of what we did and how I think it is a very non-traditional blockbuster in 2017 and I’m so proud of what Legendary and Warner Bros. and those guys allowed me to do and the collaboration we had, but I definitely don’t think I got Kong vs Godzilla in me. You never say never, I’m so proud of the Kong we made and the vibe of him and the energy of him and the vibe of the creatures on the island and everything, but yeah it would be tough for me right now.”
Beyond the monstrous parameters of Legendary’s MonsterVerse, last week brought news of a King Kong TV series setting up shop at MarVista Entertainment and IM Global Television. The elevator pitch? A “serialized, contemporary continuation of the classic with a female-led, multi-cultural ensemble that delves fully into the wonders and horrors of Skull Island and its origins.” Both parties are currently in the early stages of casting a predominantly female ensemble, with Jonathan Penner and Stacy Title (The Bye Bye Man) attached to hash out the script.
Touting an all-star cast and some truly awe-inspiring visual effects – the shot of Kong walking out of the mist at nighttime is a particular highlight – Kong: Skull Island fared well among critics, and has so far collected $554 million worldwide. That places it just ahead of Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla reboot from 2014 ($529 million), so we’re intrigued to find out how that momentum carries over to the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 2019 – if at all.