Adam Wingard talks directing Godzilla vs. Kong

July 20th 2017, 2:02pm

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Adam Wingard is directing the most recent "vs." film to come up in recent years (after such classics as FREDDY VS. JASON, ALIEN VS. PREDATOR, and BATMAN V SUPERMAN) with GODZILLA VS. KONG. This is exciting for me, as I've loved Wingard's films YOU'RE NEXT and THE GUEST (and while I haven't seen BLAIR WITCH yet, DEATH NOTE looks pretty good too), so I'm looking forward to seeing what he can bring to the table. However, this would be his first real big-budget, effects-heavy film, which he talked about in a recent interview with Birth.Movies.Death:

It’s funny—the day I had my first meeting…was the day it was announced that Lord and Miller got fired, so that was kind of an eye-opening moment. I mean, you hear—especially within the industry—a lot of rumors about directors who have silently been replaced, or the movies have been reshot by other directors because the producers were unhappy with them, and things like that. But firing them was a completely different situation…Ultimately, I don’t think it affects me that much…The most important thing when you’re making this type of film is that it’s not about pushing against authority; it’s about everybody getting on the same page. When you’re doing anything that involves a lot of money, it should not be an ‘us vs. them’ kind of thing, and as soon as you start treating it that way, it becomes that way. But as long as you’re open to ideas when they come—and sometimes they’re good and sometimes you have to push back—it’s just about being able to communicate.

This all makes sense, and I hope the best for him. All the Monsterverse films so far – from GODZILLA (2014), to KONG: SKULL ISLAND, to GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS – have all come from directors who have done smaller, more indie fare before jumping into these mega-budget behemoths. So far it's turned out well, so I'm definitely rooting for him!