In 2008, Marvel Studios took an unprecedented step in kicking off a shared universe. Back then, this was considered an ambitious and risky move from the studio. Sequels are hard enough for studios to garner profit from, so what hope did a studio have in creating a whole shared universe with characters hopping around from one film to another? Would an audience even be able to understand that all these characters existed in the same world? This big experiment came to a head in 2012 with the release of 2012’s The Avengers. what could have been a colossal failure in filmmaking and screenwriting actually turned out to be one of the best blockbuster experiences ever created. 

Needless to say, other studios took notice. DC set to work at creating their own DC Extended Universe, Universal is currently in the infant stages of creating a Monsters Universe, and Legendaryand Warner Bros. have also teamed up to bring Godzilla and King Kong together on the big screen in the near future.

2014’s Godzilla, directed by Gareth Edwards, is now the retconned beginning of this “shared universe,” with the upcoming Kong: Skull Island serving as the introduction of King Kong himself, and the follow-up within this universe (though given the time period, I suppose we could also call it a prequel of sorts). As of right now, we still have no real solid details regarding the eventual film that will pit Godzilla and King Kong against one another (other than a date: May 29, 2020), but we do have the next logical step: the writers for the upcoming Godzilla 2.

According to Variety, Legendary has signed up Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields to pen the script for the sequel. These are two of the three writers that scribed the relatively well-received horror-comedy B-movie homage Krampus, which hit theaters last Christmas season.

This isn’t the most exciting news to come out of the report, however, Variety also states that Legendary is throwing around the idea of setting up a writers room for this Godzilla-Kong universe. This would be an interesting move, especially since Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island are both pretty much done, and all that there is left is the Godzilla sequel and actual Kong-Godzilla clash film. Oh, how naive I am. Of course that couldn’t be where it ends. While it’s very possible they’d set up a writer’s room just to ensure they hit a home run for the rest of their films, it seems to imply they are in this for the long haul — Marvel and DC style.

As of right now, if they do set up this writer’s room, it’s unclear if Dougherty and Shields will join it, or merely stay on to write the screenplay for Godzilla 2. I’m sure we’ll hear more on this as this universe materializes. In true Hollywood form, the future of this world will likely hinge on the success of the upcoming Kong: Skull Island, which is looking pretty good based on the San Diego Comic-Con footage.

What do you think of this news. Do you think Dougherty and Shields are the right pair to write Godzilla 2, and what do you make of this potential writers room? Let us know in the comments down below!

Kong: Skull Island hits theaters on March 10, 2017.

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SOURCE: Variety