Total Film has released a new batch of images from GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS, and while a couple of them are focused on the human characters (we get a shot of Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown, a behind-the-scenes picture of Ken Watanabe), the other two show the stars we're really going to be there to see: Godzilla and Ghidorah. One image is even a preview of the big clash between those two monsters.
A sequel to the 2014 GODZILLA film, this one is also bringing the kaiju Mothra and Rodan into the mix, and might feature even more creatures than that.
Directed by Michael Dougherty from a screenplay he wrote with his KRAMPUS collaborator Zach Shields and GODZILLA / KONG: SKULL ISLAND's Max Borenstein, GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS follows
the heroic efforts of Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species thought to be mere myths rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.
When asked how his approach to the material will compare to the work directors Gareth Edwards and Jordan Vogt-Roberts did on the previous two movies in this "MonsterVerse", Dougherty described the style as an "evolution" that takes elements from both GODZILLA and KONG: SKULL ISLAND.
What I loved about Gareth's approach was that it was very grounded and very real. It felt like something you would see if you looked out your window. And then Jordan [Vogt-Roberts] pushed that further, and brought a lot of colour and vibrancy into his frames. I wanted to continue that evolution. You know, portraying the creatures as very realistic, but at the same time embracing the colour that they could bring – especially when you had a three-headed dragon that shoots lightning. You sort of have to embrace a more fantastical element when you bring in a giant moth, or a giant bird born out of a volcano. You try to keep it as grounded as you can, so that it feels real. But at the same time, you're talking about very fantastical creatures."
In addition to Farmiga, Brown, and Watanabe, other humans who will be sharing the screen with the monsters in Dougherty's movie include Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, Zhang Ziyi, Aisha Hinds, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Randy Havens, Jonathan Howard, Anthony Ramos, Bradley Whitford, and Elizabeth Ludlow.
Performers who helped bring the creatures to life include Jason Liles, Richard Dorton, and Alex Maxson, who provided the motion capture performances for the three heads of Ghidorah.
GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS is set to reach theatres on May 31st. The movie is featured in the pages of the latest issue of Total Film, which hits shelves this weekend.