‘Godzilla 2’ Casts Bradley Whitford
Get Out star and ‘The West Wing’ alumnus Bradley Whitford is the latest actor to be cast in Warner Bros’ Godzilla (2014) sequel Godzilla: King of Monsters.
With plot details being kept under wraps, it is not yet known which role Whitford will portray in the movie that is set to be written and directed by Michael Dougherty (Trick ‘r Treat, Krampus). Dougherty, whose screenwriting credits include X2, Superman Returns and X-Men: Apocalypse, is the man tasked with taking over from Godzilla director Gareth Edwards who departed the franchise for LucasFilms’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) with a hefty amount of praise.
‘Stranger Things’ actress Millie Bobby Brown was announced for the movie as far back as January (2017) and will play the daughter of Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler, the latter of whom will play the role of a pivotal scientist. Sally Hawkins, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Thomas Middleditch and Ken Watanebe have also been confirmed for the film.
Godzilla: King of Monsters will be a part of Warner Bros’ planned ‘monsters universe’, officially titled ‘The MonsterVerse’, that also includes King Kong (seen in Kong: Skull Island – 2017), Mothra and King Ghidora, amongst others.
This franchising of some of the biggest names in monster cinema is not the first that Warner Bros has attempted, and the franchising of said characters was a huge success in Japan throughout the 1960s in particular, but history could be against this new “universe” given the relative lack of success similar projects have found in the face of mainstream hits Harry Potter and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Coming off the back of generally favourable reviews and a positive audience reception, it would seem that fans of old fashioned monster movies may at least be willing to give this particular franchise a chance, especially with a rumoured Godzilla vs Kong movie coming down the road.