Terry Rossio On “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”

The MonsterVerse Crossover has returned, stomping and roaring its way to box office heights. Traditionally, these monsters have pounded their way across across our screens, either in isolation or in packs with their own kind, with rare exception.

Godzilla, (or kaiju) the reptilian king of the monsters empowered by radiation, first graced our screens in 1954. Kong first appeared in 1933 and portrayed as the king of the beasts.

Both Godzilla and King have had spinoff characters such as Mechagodzilla and Lady Kong which have made appearances in various movies.

The concept of a crossover film where these two monsters battle each other first appeared on screen in 1962 with King Kong vs. Godzilla and was largely dormant until 2021 with Godzilla vs. Kong penned by Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein. Now, there’s a sequel called Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire co-written by Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater.

Rossio shared his views on keeping the beloved MonsterVerse alive and vital. He describes his house as a tribute to the franchises with collections of graphic novels, DVDs and toys.

Discuss creating a brand new chapter in the MonsterVerse as opposed to just another sequel. How do you keep it fresh and exciting?

Credit goes to [director] Adam Wingard on this. He had the insight that there hadn’t really been a monster film told from the point of view of the monsters. Godzilla and Kong are the movie stars here, so they should be the leads. Let’s tell their story. Rather than keep them off screen and mysterious, we’re right beside them as the narrative unfolds. And then I would mention, on the previous film Godzilla vs Kong, we made the strategic story choice to go down into the Hollow Earth. Rather than put another city in peril, this gave us an entire new environment to explore.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire leans more into big action rather than exploring the mythology. Can you speak to rebalancing these two considerations?

The intent of the film was to reveal information through action, as opposed to dialogue. So, you learn more about the monsters through situations, conflict, emotions, and the choices they make — just like any film. The hope is that audiences will feel closer and more connected to these characters after seeing this latest film, by walking a mile in their shoes, so to speak.

There are four story by/ screenwriter credits on this movie: You, Simon Barrett, Jeremy Slater and director Adam Wingard. How did the relationship work in terms of building out the story and writing the drafts?

The original story design was by myself, Simon, and Adam. It was a mini writers’ room and a grand amount of fun. The studio approved our approach, so that became the ‘story by’ credit [for all of us]. I then set forth and wrote the initial drafts, supervised by Adam. Adam then worked with Simon on revisions, and with Jeremy on revisions during production, and that became the ‘screenplay by’ credit.

What were the main studio notes you received?

I most recall discussions around the monsters and their designs. How many we could afford, whether they were distinctive enough, and especially which characters were available from Toho and previous films. They went back and forth on whether the license for Mothra could be obtained, for example, or if we had to create a different monster. We went down the path of a different monster, but of course everyone wanted Mothra, and in the end that’s how it worked out.

Do you think about the Big Monsters/ Apes in terms of being heroes and villains?

I think there are three antecedents that apply. Oddly, stories of the Greek gods, Sergio Leone westerns, and professional wrestling. With stories of the Greek gods, humans were often pawns, subject to the whims and designs of the gods and demigods above them, who were vastly more powerful. The gods were forces of nature — much like the MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms) in the MonsterVerse. Much of the drama of the greek stories have to do with which god is most powerful, with hapless humans caught in between, and that’s similar with our stories.

The Sergio Leone films work the same. It’s never stated, but amongst the ‘normal’ people are the demigod-like gunslingers, who walk among us, designated by how little they speak. The Leone films are strict on this rule, ultimately the most powerful character is the one who has spoken the fewest words in the course of the story. The essential drama, then, is the expectation of what will happen when those demigod characters collide, who will win. And that’s how it works in the MonsterVerse as well.

Professional wrestling plays in a similar manner, there is a period of build-up, your heroes and your heels, then the payoff of the big fight, and how the fighting styles will mesh.

What do you consider to be the unifying theme that underpins all the movies in the Godzilla and Kong franchises?

Given the films of the MonsterVerse are so different, I can’t say there is a unifying theme that applies to all of them. But for Godzilla x Kong: the New Empire, there is a clear set of ethics that plays out. I found it interesting some critics praised the film for being free of social commentary; just the opposite is true. There is the obvious character journey of Kong and Jia finding their homes, but the real message is one of unification. Godzilla and Kong choose to work together. Mothra brings them together. The Iwi Tribe works to help the Titans. It’s a fairly sledgehammer message in our divided times, that we are stronger if we overcome our differences and stand as one.

Discuss the key human characters in terms of their interactions with the Monsters? How do they elevate the movie?

Films work best with reaction shots. There’s a reason why Adrianne is watching Rocky during his big fight, we feel each punch more strongly with her reactions. Imagine the climactic ending of Star Wars without the reactions of Leia, R2D2 and C-3PO, in that final run on the Death Star. Gladiator is far less with an empty stadium. For the MonsterVerse, the human characters, with their reactions, analysis and speculations, help clarify the stakes of the story.

Now specifically in the Godzilla x Kong stories, we have a secret weapon, which emerged from the writers’ room: Jia’s ability to sign-language with Kong. This gives us a path of direct communication from human to Titan, to precisely understand the thoughts and emotions of Kong, and better sympathize with his journey.