Demián Bichir is on a genre movie streak. The actor, Oscar-nominated for his role in the 2011 film A BETTER LIFE, faced off with the xenomorph in last year's ALIEN: COVENANT, recently took on the horror of THE NUN, will soon be seen in a reboot of the GRUDGE franchise, and now he's in talks to join the Legendary / Warner Bros. monster mash-up GODZILLA VS. KONG.
When Bichir's deal is closed, he'll be joining a cast that includes Millie Bobby Brown, Julian Dennison, Brian Tyree Henry, and two of the most iconic monsters to ever reach the big screen.
Brown is returning from director Michael Dougherty's upcoming GODZILLA sequel GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS, which is set to be released on May 31, 2019. Her character is the daughter of a woman played by Vera Farmiga in KING OF THE MONSTERS, so I'm interested in finding out if Farmiga will be back for GODZILLA VS. KONG as well.
Directed by Adam Wingard, GODZILLA VS. KONG will begin filming next month and is headed toward a May 22, 2020 release.
Meanwhile, outside of the WB MonsterVerse, director Paul W.S. Anderson is currently filming a giant monster movie of his own, an adaptation of the MONSTER HUNTER video game series. That film doesn't have a release date yet, but its distributors will include Sony's Screen Gems, Constantin Film, Sony Pictures Releasing International, and Godzilla's home studio Toho.
Starring the previously announced Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Tip "T.I." Harris, and Ron Perlman, MONSTER HUNTER is set in
a world behind our own, where dangerous and powerful monsters rule their domain with deadly ferocity. When Lt. Artemis (Jovovich) and her loyal soldiers are transported from our world to the new world, the unflappable lieutenant receives the shock of her life. In her desperate battle for survival against enormous enemies with incredible powers, Artemis will team with a mysterious man who has found a way to fight back.
MONSTER HUNTER has now expanded its cast with the addition of Diego Boneta, who recently finished working on the new TERMINATOR sequel; Josh Helman, who has been in such films as JACK REACHER, the DAYS OF FUTURE PAST and APOCALYPSE installments of the X-MEN franchise, and MAD MAX: FURY ROAD; and Meagan Good, whose horror credits include VENOM (2005), SAW V, and THE UNBORN.
Giant monster movies always have my attention. When it comes down to these two options, I'm much more interested in seeing Godzilla fight Kong, but MONSTER HUNTER could be interesting as well. I've never played any of the video games, so I have no idea what to expect from it.
We'll keep you updated on these creature features as more news is made available.