As far as the world of cinematic scuffles is concerned, no pairing stands quite as tall (and admittedly bumbling) as Godzilla and King Kong. While Godzilla is so unparalleled in his mutated reptilian abilities that even Walter Whitecouldn't stop him, King Kong boasts the bragworthy distinction of having both Peter Jackson and Jack Black in his corner. Decades after their iconic high-budget battle in Toho's King Kong vs. Godzilla, the two titans of monster lore are reportedly closer than ever to a proper rematch.
The long-in-development Kong: Skull Island, starring frequent Marvel Cinematic Universe participant Tom Hiddleston, is now officially making a home at Warner Bros. According to Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr, this move is a conscious effort aimed at uniting the project with former foe Godzilla, who is currently in the middle of sequel speculation stemming from the successful haul of last year's Godzilla reboot:
In what would be a pretty epic pairing, the Godzilla sequel that is in the works will be followed by a movie that pits the giant ape versus the giant fire breathing reptile. I’m told this is happening very quickly with moves going all the way to Japan, where Godzilla rights holder Toho is based. Legendary, which moved from Warner Bros to Universal, had developed the Skull Island film at the latter studio. It is unclear at the moment what Universal’s position will be, but I heard the studio move is being done because it is just easier to have all the pieces under one roof, something that Marvel Studios has done with superheroes like The Hulk. King Kong is in the public domain, while Legendary got the Godzilla rights from Toho.
For what it's worth, here's to hoping this surely ridiculous battle film will revisit some of the undeniable charm found in the 1998 Godzilla, featuring arguably one of Matthew Broderick's most challenging performances:
