The Godzilla And Kong Movies Need A New Director – Here Are Our Picks

The MonsterVerse has, somewhat quietly, become one of the most reliable franchises going in Hollywood at the moment. For a full decade dating back to 2014's "Godzilla" right up through this year's "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," these films have built up a loyal audience with no signs of fatigue on the part of the viewers. While Warner Bros. and Legendary are quickly looking to get a new installment going, they will need a new director, as we recently learned that Adam Wingard will not be returning to the helm. So, who should take his place?

Wingard is the only filmmaker to direct two MonsterVerse installments, having helmed 2021's "Godzilla vs. Kong" as well as "The New Empire," which now ranks as the highest-grossing "Godzilla" movie ever. So sure, the studio would probably have liked him to return, but he's busy with other projects. Besides, that just opens the door for something new in the franchise, and there are plenty of directors out there who could step up to the plate to tackle the next cinematic adventure starring Godzilla, King Kong, and whatever other monsters wind up along for the ride.

We're going to go over our top five picks for the job. From smaller names ready for a big break to some of the hottest filmmakers working right now, we're going to take a look at who could/should take the baton from Wingard and run with it. Let's get to it.

If there is one entry on this list that feels like a no-brainer, it is Brian Duffield. Again, perhaps not a household name but a man that has proven himself time and time again, particularly over the years. Most recently, he directed one of 2023's best sci-fi films in the form of "No One Will Save You," a wildly inventive alien invasion flick that gained Duffield some well-deserved notoriety. But this is just the latest entry in his filmography that suggests he's ready for something bigger.

Duffield's feature directorial debut "Spontaneous" is another movie that was hampered by the pandemic but is one of the better feature debuts to come around in some time. He also wrote the underrated "Love and Monsters," which proved he can handle big monster action with human characters that matter too. Speaking to the broader theme of Duffield's career thus far, he additionally penned the underseen "Underwater," which boasted some surprising monster action and major intensity. Perhaps most importantly, Duffield has already played in the MonsterVerse as the man behind last year's "Skull Island" animated series on Netflix. This is a filmmaker with every skill needed to deliver a fresh take on these characters. This would be a slam dunk.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have been building up to the moment where they get to play in a sandbox as big as the MonsterVerse. In some ways, they already have, but they've certainly earned the right to take on something like the next "Godzilla" and/or "King Kong" movie. As the directors behind 2020's biggest North American hit "Bad Boys for Life," they rose from relative obscurity to prove that they could reinvigorate a franchise. They're back this summer with "Bad Boys: Ride or Die," and early word indicates that they've managed to pull off another fun one.

The duo have also played in the biggest franchise there is by directing episodes of "Ms. Marvel," giving them experience in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sadly, however, their most infamous project to date is DC's "Batgirl" movie, which was scrapped by Warner Bros. after being filmed entirely. Now, that means there's probably some bad blood between the filmmakers and the studio. But that doesn't mean the chance to make a movie as big as this (with a huge payday, no less) couldn't help smooth things over. It would be a nice full-circle moment too. Taking the politics out of it, we're just talking about a pair of directors who feel ready to crush a giant monster movie, provided the opportunity to do so.