Monsterverse Writer Max Borenstein Wants A Godzilla And Kong Movie Without Any Pesky Humans
Humans are, more often than not, worthless in Godzilla and King Kong movies. And their worthlessness is often the point. The real leads are the monsters, not the actors along for the destructive ride. The most recent addition to Legendary's ongoing "Monsterverse," Godzilla vs. Kong, showed the most self-awareness in that regard – the beasts were the actual stars of the film.
So naturally, the co-writer behind 2014's Godzilla, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Kong: Skull Island, and Godzilla vs. Kong, Max Borenstein, wants to one day see a sequel that tosses out the humans almost altogether in favor of the two titans.
Long before Borenstein was known as one of the brains behind the Monsterverse, he was writing more low-key stories, such as his upcoming drama Worth, which /Film's own Ben Pearson describes as "a small but harrowing true story told with intelligence." During my interview with Borenstein for that upcoming Netflix release, I asked if he, too, has ever imagined a Godzilla and Kong movie without any humans. And he has:
"I do think it could be done. I was thinking about the same thing. I think it would be amazing, actually."
Unleash the Titans
Legendary is planning more Monsterverse installments at the moment, and not long after the release of Godzilla vs. Kong, word broke that Wingard was in talks to potentially direct Son of Kong. It's unconfirmed if Borenstein will be involved in future Monsterverse installments, but he knows where he wants to see the franchise go:
"Given the success of Godzilla vs. Kong, I'm kind of hoping in whatever the next phase Legendary decides to do that we would see that. I think it'd be pretty cool. I think it is possible. It would be very ambitious. I think ambitious in that Mad Max: Fury Road way. I think it's totally possible to do that with the absolute minimum amount of human characters and really characterize the creatures."
Godzilla vs. Kong entertained because it minimized the humans. While Kaylee Hottle was a standout and Demián Bichir almost broke his mustache from twirling it so much, the filmmakers knew what audiences wanted out of the monster movie, and they delivered. Based on Godzilla vs. Kong's positive reception and box-office receipts, not to mention the undisclosed HBO Max viewership numbers, audiences would likely go for a sequel without any scientists and soldiers mucking up the monster action.