By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The epic monster clash has actually been moved up rather than back in Warner Bros.’ schedule.
Variety reports that the studio has shifted GODZILLA VS. KONG from May 21 to March 26, with the movie simultaneously playing theaters and the HBO Max streaming service. That arrangement covering all of Warners’ 2021 movies had angered GODZILLA VS. KONG producer Legendary Entertainment, which threatened legal action over the decision; the issue has now been settled between them. The culmination of the “MonsterVerse” franchise that began with 2014’s GODZILLA and continued through KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017) and GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS (2019), GODZILLA VS. KONG brings the Japanese kaiju and the greatly enlarged ape face to face for a final clash; the official synopsis: “In a time when monsters walk the Earth, humanity’s fight for its future sets Godzilla and Kong on a collision course that will see the two most powerful forces of nature on the planet collide in a spectacular battle for the ages. As Monarch embarks on a perilous mission into uncharted terrain and unearths clues to the Titans’ origins, a human conspiracy threatens to wipe the creatures, both good and bad, from the face of the earth forever.” Directed by Adam Wingard (YOU’RE NEXT, THE GUEST) from a script by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, it stars Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Kyle Chandler and Demián Bichir.
