Despite leading the charge for the franchise for the past two movies, Adam Wingard will officially not be returning for the Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire sequel. Wingard, previously known for his work in the horror genre with the likes of You’re Next and the action-thriller The Guest, made his debut in the Monsterverse with 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, which became tied for the best-reviewed installment in the franchise. He would subsequently return for Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, which sits just shy of the highest-grossing in the movie series, and even teased his plans for a trilogy closer.

The Hollywood Reporter has brought word that Wingard has stepped away from the Monsterverse and the planned Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire sequel. Though a surprising setback, sources report that the decision was an amicable one between the director and Legendary, stemming solely from scheduling conflicts as he plans to make his return to the indie action-horror genre. At the time of writing, no new director has entered talks or been reported as being eyed for the sequel, and further sources indicate the door is open for Wingard to return in the future.

Why Wingard’s Departure Isn’t Entirely Bad News For The GXK Sequel

With the franchise having already seen multiple directors at the helm, and a returning Monsterverse creative penning the script, the Godzilla X Kong sequel seems in safe hands.

The confirmation that Wingard will not be returning for the Godzilla X Kong sequel may come as a surprise to those who have been following its development in the months since The New Empire‘s release. Every update for the next installment, including the return of the original writer of 2014’s Godzilla, David Callaham, reported that while no deal was closed for the director, Legendary had fully expected him to be back. Wingard himself frequently teased his ideas for a third movie, wanting to go deeper with Kong’s relationship with the Hollow Earth tribe of apes and Godzilla’s own mysterious backstory:

I definitely have some ideas of where they could go. In the way that Kong is treated in this movie, if this movie is successful, I think that the next movie will be the Godzilla version of what we did with this movie, kind of pushing deeper into his story. But Kong’s story is still just beginning even though I think he is coming to his own as the king to a certain degree. He’s not going to be a Skar King type of ruler, he’s not a dictator of any kind. And so to see how Kong will work with this group and how he himself will be a leader, I think it’ll be very interesting, because I don’t think it’ll be straightforward.

While he may not be back in the director’s chair for the Godzilla X Kong sequel, it doesn’t entirely mean that Legendary will throw out his ideas either about how to continue the franchise, given how closely involved he was in building it out with the previous two movies. The Monsterverse has seen a variety of creatives get their hands on the material and utilize it in their own unique ways, with Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ Kong: Skull Island taking a prequel approach to introducing the titular ape, while Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters utilized multiple timelines to flesh out the eponymous agency’s origins and modern-day workings.

Another key reason why Wingard’s departure from the Godzilla X Kong sequel shouldn’t come as a bad sign is his own creative direction for his career. The filmmaker has been attached to both a Face/Off legacy sequel and ThunderCats live-action movie for years, which, paired with his new action-thriller, Onslaught, has left his plate full and him with the choice of what he feels motivated to do, which may not be the Monsterverse follow-up at this moment. That being said, with the franchise having already seen multiple directors at the helm, and a returning Monsterverse creative penning the script, the Godzilla X Kong sequel seems in safe hands.

The confirmation that Wingard will not be returning for the Godzilla X Kong sequel may come as a surprise to those who have been following its development in the months since The New Empire‘s release. Every update for the next installment, including the return of the original writer of 2014’s Godzilla, David Callaham, reported that while no deal was closed for the director, Legendary had fully expected him to be back. Wingard himself frequently teased his ideas for a third movie, wanting to go deeper with Kong’s relationship with the Hollow Earth tribe of apes and Godzilla’s own mysterious backstory:

I definitely have some ideas of where they could go. In the way that Kong is treated in this movie, if this movie is successful, I think that the next movie will be the Godzilla version of what we did with this movie, kind of pushing deeper into his story. But Kong’s story is still just beginning even though I think he is coming to his own as the king to a certain degree. He’s not going to be a Skar King type of ruler, he’s not a dictator of any kind. And so to see how Kong will work with this group and how he himself will be a leader, I think it’ll be very interesting, because I don’t think it’ll be straightforward.

The Hollywood Reporter has brought word that Wingard has stepped away from the Monsterverse and the planned Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire sequel. Though a surprising setback, sources report that the decision was an amicable one between the director and Legendary, stemming solely from scheduling conflicts as he plans to make his return to the indie action-horror genre. At the time of writing, no new director has entered talks or been reported as being eyed for the sequel, and further sources indicate the door is open for Wingard to return in the future.

Why Wingard’s Departure Isn’t Entirely Bad News For The GXK Sequel