Summary

• Kong: Skull Island's massive box office success and critical acclaim make it deserving of a sequel, but there isn't one currently in the works.
• Rumors of a Kong sequel, initially called Son of Kong, have surfaced but have since evolved into Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.
• Even if the new movie is marketed as a continuation of Godzilla vs. Kong, it may actually be a full-on Kong story with Godzilla playing a ing role, as Kong deserves his own solo movie after the success of Skull Island.

Godzilla to stop the malevolent Mechagodzilla. Despite his defeat, Kong received much more backstory in Godzilla vs. Kong and ultimately had the stronger story of the two starring kaijus. In theory, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire will elaborate on the background of both Titans.

However, that merely scratched the surface of Kong's history. The popularity of the giant ape, along with his very potent box office ability, should have led to a sequel before Kong was sent up against Godzilla, especially given the drastic change to Kong's size from Kong: Skull Island to Godzilla vs. Kong. Yet no sequel came about, and there isn't currently one in the works from Legendary. Kong's story will undoubtedly continue in the Monsterverse, but what it looks like long-term is still murky.

Kong: Skull Island's Success Warranted A Sequel Movie

The movies of the Monsterverse have grossed nearly $2 billion at the global box office, justifying the expansion of the cinematic universe to include more Titans and cross into new mediums like the Apple TV+ show Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. However, of all the movies to deserve a follow-up, Kong: Skull Island seems to be the one at the head of the line. Kong: Skull Island actually grossed more at the global box office than any other movie in the Monsterverse so far according to The Numbers. While 2014's Godzilla outearned it domestically, Kong: Skull Island bested it overseas with a $561 million total gross at the box office.

In addition to its box office success, Kong: Skull Island did great with critics, too. It was Certified Fresh by critics on Rotten Tomatoes with a strong 75%, which currently places it right in line with Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Kong which both have a rating of 76%. A combination of critical acclaim and box office numbers like that is almost an automatic green light for a sequel in modern Hollywood, and yet six years later there isn't a solo Kong project anywhere on Legendary's schedule.

A New Kong Movie Was Rumored After Godzilla Vs. Kong

There were rumors of a true Kong sequel at one point, however. As late as 2022 Adam Wingard was rumored to be working on Son of Kong, which was the original working title of the sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong focused on Kong finding other of his species in the Hollow Earth. The title is a callback to the sequel to the original 1933 King Kong movie, which was also titled Son of Kong and saw the narrative shift to "Little Kong", the small albino descendant of the deceased King Kong.

The sequel has since evolved into Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, which as the name implies will center around Godzilla and Kong working together against a common foe as opposed to fighting each other. While only a brief teaser has been released, the enemy being set up appears to be another member of Kong's species. It seems unlikely that the glowing-eyed ape featured in the trailer is actually Kong's son--rather, it's most likely an ancestor who's been awakened, or simply another rival member of his species with plans to take on the mantle of Alpha Titan.

Is Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire Secretly A Kong Movie?

Even if the massive apelike creature on the throne is in fact a member of Kong's species, Kong still has reason to fear him. His throne is surrounded by the bones of fallen Titans, including of Kong's own species. He may even be the one responsible for wiping out Kong's extended family, whose existence was hinted at in Kong: Skull Island, and the entirety of Godzilla's family as well. If this nefarious-looking ape is responsible for atrocities against other Titans, he would most definitely be considered a threat to the natural order of the planet, much as Ghidorah was.

The Monsterverse's Alpha Titan really is.

Kong Still Deserves A New Solo Movie 6 Years After Skull Island

Even if Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire does turn out to be a Kong movie in disguise, it can't truly be a Kong movie as long as Godzilla's name is on the marquee. As the most famous kaiju in the world, Godzilla will always have his own built-in audience that will want to see more of the giant lizard. In fact, some fans already believe that one of the problems with Godzilla vs. Kong was that it wasn't actually a Godzilla story. Including Godzilla in any kaiju movie makes it a "Godzilla movie", no matter how small his role is.

Kong deserves his own solo movie after the success of Kong: Skull Island for a number of reasons, but one of the best is how much he can humanize the Titans themselves, most of whom are benevolent creatures. In Godzilla vs. Kong, it was revealed that Kong had learned at least one word in sign language. As an ape, he has (and has shown) intelligence vastly beyond most of the other Titans. He could and should become the all-important bridge between the Titans and humanity, both of whom ultimately want to restore Earth to the way it should be.

However, with enemies of that mission both human and Titan, cooperation will be essential, and as shown in both Godzilla vs. Kong and Kong: Skull Island, Kong is the key to that cooperation. He deserves the opportunity to be at the forefront of his own adventure to elaborate on his importance, and give him the proper deference that the character is owed. Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire may masquerade as a Kong movie, but he still needs the silver screen to himself at least once more.

Source: The-Numbers.com, Rotten Tomatoes