Godzilla and Kong face off in these exclusive images from the MonsterVerse clash

When it comes to crossover grudge matches, they literally don’t come much bigger than Godzilla vs. Kong. The latest in the MonsterVerse franchise sees the two iconic Titans going head-to-head and duking it out for supremacy, in a culmination of the events that have been building since 2014’s Godzilla reboot, and the Vietnam-era Kong: Skull Island.

Directed by Adam Wingard (You’re Next, The Guest), Godzilla vs. Kong is one of the first new blockbusters to emerge that wasn’t advertised before the pandemic, and it arrives in US cinemas and on HBO Max at the end of this month (with a UK date to be determined).

Below, you can see exclusive new images from the film courtesy of our sister publication Total Film magazine, which features Godzilla vs. Kong on its upcoming cover. As well as two shots of the creatures battling it out, there’s also a new look at human characters Madison (Millie Bobby Brown, returning from King of the Monsters), Josh (Julian Dennison), and Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry) coming face to face with a familiar-looking skull…

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Earlier in his career, Wingard nearly directed a Skull Island movie for Peter Jackson before the film ultimately fell through. “It was kind of fortunate, because that’s just not what I was ready for, to be totally frank,” Wingard tells Total Film. “But then, through the years, I started moving up in different budgets. You’re Next started at $500,000. The Guest was about $4m. I did a TV pilot for about $7m. 

"And each time, I was getting more and more of a different experience level, not just with budgets, but slowly VFX things started creeping in – until I did Death Note. I think the final budget was around $28m, if I remember correctly. That movie had some pretty big VFX set-pieces in it. And so I had my first taste of the VFX world, and a little bit of a bigger budget.”

He also learned a valuable lesson visiting the set of King of the Monsters. “That was really fascinating,” he continues. “You might have bigger sets and all those kind of things, but at the end of the day, filmmaking is still a very simple thing. You’ve got a camera, and you’ve got to get stuff in front of it. That’s the same on a $3,000 level or a $200m level. It’s just about focusing on what you want, or don’t want, in front of the camera.”

Godzilla vs. Kong is scheduled to open in US cinemas and on HBO Max on March 31. For much more on the film – including a report from the set and interviews with the cast – pick up a copy of the new issue of Total Film magazine when it hits shelves (real and digital) this Friday, March 5. Check out the new covers below:

If you're a fan of Total Film, why not subscribe so that you never miss an upcoming issue? Sign up via MagazinesDirect and with the latest offer you'll save 60 per cent – that's better than half price! – on a print and digital bundle. You'll also get exclusive subscriber-only covers like the Godzilla vs. Kong one above.