The Godzilla x Kong movie franchise has broken up with its 2-time director, and is prowling for a new one

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It's hard to tell Godzilla or King Kong 'no.' Both in the movies, and in real life.

Despite that, the director of the past two Godzilla/Kong MonsterVerse movies is breaking up with Legendary Pictures, the studio behind the franchise. As first reported by Variety, both were keen to continue on a third film but then life happened.

Adam Wingard, who directed both 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong and 2024's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, was excited with the prospect of working on his third MonsterVerse movie during press tours this year, but never actually signed on the dotted line to do the film. And now with two monster-sized blockbuster movies under his belt - not to mention his earlier work on 2016's Blair Witch reboot, or Netflix's Death Note reboot - he's decided to return to his creator-led roots first with an A24-produced film called Onslaught expected to begin filming this fall.

While the Hollywood trade describes the breakup between director and studio as "amicable" and that they're both "open for a future return," Legendary is described at being unwilling to wait for Wingard and was already began seeing other people with the hiring of Shang-Chi screenwriter Dave Callahm just a few weeks back. According to Variety, Wingard and Legendary didn't officially break up until this week though.

The breakup comes after Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is on the precipice of becoming the highest-grossing movie in the franchise - toppling Godzilla x Kong quickly, and beating 2017's Kong: Skull Island as of this week.

And in what may be the most valuable, but underrated skill of all, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was the cheapest of the franchise to make at $135 million.

Whichever giant monster is your favorite, Popverse has you covered. We have a guide to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire's ending (and what it means for the broader MonsterVerse), as well as watch orders for both Legendary's MonsterVerse and Godzilla's overall movies, as well as why Godzilla Minus One left theaters early (and why New Empire could be to blame!), and if you're a Popverse premium member, a New York Comic Con-exclusive interview with the cast and crew of Legendary's kaiju-hunting drama Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.