The MonsterVerse may be getting a little less goofy. Early test screening reactions for Godzilla x Kong: Supernova reportedly point to a more serious tone than 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, with viewers describing the upcoming sequel as a blend of Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong.
According to Godzilla YouTuber D Man1954, who said he spoke with three people who attended a February screening, the response was strongly positive.
“By pretty much every account I’ve heard, the general atmosphere in the theater was that the movie was an improvement over New Empire and maybe even an improvement over Godzilla vs. Kong,” he said.
He added that the comparison to King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong applied more to tone and style than plot.
The biggest shift appears to be in the stakes. “It’s a little more serious than New Empire,” D Man1954 said. “The stakes are a little higher and more serious, and the world is a little more expansive and developed.”
Because the screening took place in February, the film may have changed significantly in post-production. Warner Bros. and Legendary have also kept official story details relatively limited.
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What is known is that Supernova will once again bring Godzilla and Kong together against a new cataclysmic threat.
An early synopsis released at the China Licensing Expo teased a story that will explore the relationship between humans and prehistoric Titans while continuing to build on Godzilla and Kong’s roles as guardians of Earth’s ecological balance.
The tonal shift could be welcome news for fans who felt the recent MonsterVerse films leaned too heavily into comedy and spectacle.
The franchise has moved through several distinct styles since Gareth Edwards launched it with Godzilla in 2014, from the darker atmosphere of that film to the larger-scale creature spectacle of King of the Monsters and the increasingly heightened action of Adam Wingard’s two crossover entries.
Grant Sputore, who directed I Am Mother, takes over directing duties for Supernova, working from a screenplay by Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings writer Dave Callaham.
The cast includes Kaitlyn Dever, Jack O’Connell, Delroy Lindo, Matthew Modine, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Sam Neill and Dan Stevens, who returns as veterinarian Trapper Beasley from The New Empire.
Godzilla x Kong: Supernova is scheduled to hit theaters March 26, 2027.
