Back in January, I made a list of other upcoming movies that were in development. With the announcement of Godzilla vs Kong being pushed back to November 20th, 2020, it had me curious about the other monster movies releasing next year. With the end of 2019 drawing closer now is a good time to update that list and see where these movies are at.
1. Underwater
Back on August 19th, 20th Century Fox dropped a trailer for a deep sea horror movie called Underwater. It stars Kristen Stewart, T.J. Miller, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher Jr., Mamoudou Athie, and Gunner Wright.
The synopsis for Underwater goes as followed:
"A crew of aquatic researchers work to get to safety after an earthquake devastates their subterranean laboratory. But the crew has more than the ocean seabed to worry about."
When the trailer first released, I was already under the assumption that Underwater was what Dark (a title that was rumored to be the fourth Cloverfield movie under Paramount) turned into. Even the synopsis and the script for Dark is very similar to Underwater, except the location is on an oil rig instead of an underwater research lab and the monster in Dark had an octopus like design whereas the monster in Underwater is like a mermaid/fish man.
There is only one problem with the theory of Dark turning into Underwater, which is Underwater was in production back in 2017 and the synopsis and leaked script for Dark was discovered last year on a website called The Black List. Which means that Dark might be and still can be possible as its own movie. However, it is more than a safe bet that the Cloverfield series is dead after the travesty that was The Cloverfield Paradox. I just can't help seeing the striking similarities between Dark and Underwater. Yet, I could also point out the similarities Underwater has with Alien, which is another title under 20th Century Fox. Just switch the location from a space ship to an underwater laboratory. It's like that meme where one kid asks the other kid if he could copy his homework and the other kid responds with, "Sure, but just change your answers a little bit so they're not the same." and the result is an image of two movies/characters/games/etc. that have such minor differences that they may as well be the same thing. So until I see the movie, it's hard to tell if this is really meant to be Dark or if 20th Century Fox took too much inspiration from Alien that it turned into an Alien movie.
Underwater opens in theaters January 10, 2020.
2. Monster Problems
Monster Problems is a monster movie that is under Paramount Pictures. It is a coming of age story about a young man that tries to learn how to survive a monster apocalypse with the help of an expert hunter. It stars Dylan O'Brien, Michael Rooker, and Jessica Henwick.
There is not much that is known about this movie aside from some set photos that shows Jessica Henwick aiding Dylan O'Brien on how to hunt monsters. The movie was originally expected to be released in early March 2020, but was pushed back to April 17th, 2020. Just like Godzilla vs Kong, there are no posters and no movie trailer for this movie. So it makes me wonder if Paramount Pictures will be able to drop a trailer before the movie's release date or if this movie will be pushed back again. I will keep a close eye on Monster Problems and update if there have been any developments with this movie.
Monster Problems is expected to release April 17, 2020.
3. A Quiet Place: Part II
A Quiet Place: Part II is the sequel to 2018's alien invasion/horror movie, A Quiet Place. It stars the returning cast members Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe continuing the story of the Abbott family fighting to survive on a desolate Earth overrun by aliens that hunt by sound.
Even though there is no other information about this movie, the trailer for A Quiet Place: Part II will be releasing soon. Once the trailer drops, more information will be updated.
A Quiet Place: Part II is expected to release on March 20, 2020.
4. Monster Hunter
Back in January, I reported on Monster Hunter as being the least hyped monster movie according to fans of the series. The reason is due to the movie starring Milla Jovovich who is an average actress at best and her husband, Paul W.S. Anderson, in the director seat. Paul W.S. Anderson has been known to direct and adapt movies based on video game franchises such as Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, and Alien vs Predator.
The synopsis for Monster Hunter goes as followed:
"When Lt. Artemis and her loyal soldiers are transported to a new world, they engage in a desperate battle for survival against enormous enemies with incredible powers. Feature film based on the video game made by Capcom."
Ever since January, there has been no updates on the production of the film, no new photos, and no trailer, which is fine since it is expected to release on September 4, 2020. There are 10 months left until the movie's release which is plenty of time to release a trailer. Until more info or a trailer arises, I will keep an eye on this film.
Monster Hunter is expected to be released September 4, 2020.
5. Godzilla vs Kong
Godzilla vs Kong is the fourth and possibly the final installment in the Monsterverse series made by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. It stars Alexander Skårsgard, Eiza Gonzalez, Jessica Henwick, Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Rebecca Hall, Ziyi Zhang, and Julian Dennison.
The synopsis goes as followed:
"In a time when monsters walk the Earth, humanity's fight for its future sets Godzilla and Kong on a collision course that will see the two most powerful forces of nature on the planet collide in a spectacular battle for the ages. As Monarch embarks on a perilous mission into uncharted terrain and unearths clues to the Titans' origins, a human conspiracy threatens to wipe the creatures, both good and bad, from the face of the earth forever."
Ever since King Kong vs Godzilla was released back in 1962, TOHO has been trying for years to get these two biggest icons to face each other in a rematch. Godzilla vs Kong was first announced in 2015 after Kong: Skull Island was moved from Universal Studios to Warner Bros. and production for the movie began in Summer 2018. The original release date was aiming for a May 2020 release, but was moved up to March 13th, 2020 due to that Summer being fully packed. It is currently in post-production after filming was wrapped up in April 2019 and there were little to no news since then. That was until Godzilla: King Of The Monsters had disappointing box office sales that rumors started circling among fans that Godzilla vs Kong could get delayed. These rumors would be confirmed on November 25th, 2019 that the fourth installment in the Monsterverse is pushed back from its March 13th release date to November 20th. It is unclear the reason for the movie's delay whether it stems from needing more time to work on the CGI, extensive reshoots, or the movie's competition in March, yet one thing is for certain that comes from an interview back in June 2019 with the chairman of the Warner Bros. Picture Group, Toby Emmerich, stating, "It might come out later in the year, so we can deliver an A+ movie."
Godzilla vs Kong is expected to be released November 20, 2020
6. Dune
Dune is helmed by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures to bring the post-apocalyptic world from the pages of Frank Herbert's novels to big screen. The movie stars Rebecca Ferguson, Timothée Chalamet, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, and Oscar Isaac.
According to the premise, it states:
"In the far future of humanity, Duke Leto Atreides accepts stewardship of the dangerous desert planet Arrakis, the only source of the most valuable substance in the universe, the spice, a drug which extends human life and provides accelerated levels of thought. Though Leto knows the opportunity is an intricate trap set by his enemies, the Harkonnens, he takes his Bene Gesserit concubine, Lady Jessica, young son and heir, Paul, and most trusted advisors to Arrakis, also known as Dune. Leto takes control of the spice mining operation, which is made perilous by the presence of giant sand worms. A bitter betrayal leads Paul and Jessica to the Fremen, natives of Arrakis who live in the deep desert."
Legendary Pictures acquired the film and TV rights for Dune on November 21, 2016 and Brian Herbert, son of author/writer Frank Herbert, announced on February 1, 2017 that Denis Villeneuve would be directing the movie. Brian Herbert states in a later interview that the movie screenplay would only cover half of the book. Legendary CEO, Joshua Grode, confirmed in April 2019 that they are planning to make a sequel adding, "there's a logical place to stop the [first] movie before the book is over." Then in June 2019, a television spin-off series was announced for Warner Media's upcoming streaming service, HBO Max. The spin-off series is called Dune: The Sisterhood.
Dune is expected to be released December 18, 2020.
Those are all of the upcoming monster movies that will be releasing in 2020. It looks like Jessica Henwick will be starring in half of the movies on the list, so we should be seeing a whole lot of her next year starting with Underwater. We should be getting a trailer for A Quiet Place: Part II fairly soon and I will update when it arrives. As for the other movies, we have little to no information on. Monster Problems is looking like it might get pushed back if the silence on the movie's production continues. However, I am not expecting any information any time soon for Godzilla vs Kong, Monster Hunter, and Dune as they are still a year away from being released.
Which movies are you excited for for next year? Leave a comment in the comments section on which movies you're excited for or not excited for. Make sure to follow me on Minds, Facebook, and Twitter to stay up to date for more news, reviews, and discussions.