Adam Wingard, the director of Godzilla vs. Kong, first signed up to adapt the classic 1980s ThunderCats animated series into a live-action motion picture all the way back in March 2021. And other than the original announcement that Wingard would be directing it for Warner Bros., not much else has been revealed about the project.
After his work on Godzilla vs. Kong, Wingard returned to the MonsterVerse with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which opens in North American theaters at the end of the month.
In a promotional interview for The New Empire, Wingard revealed that he quietly finished the most recent draft of the ThunderCats script just before starting production on the MonsterVerse movie. But now that his obligation for The New Empire is just about up, what's next for Wingard?
Speaking to io9, Wingard stated, "Simon [Barrett] and I are still actively working on the script. We finished our last draft basically right when I was going into production on this movie and we just had to put everything on hold. [But] right now we’re actively working on it again. So whether that means that’s the next thing I do or [not], I’m not sure. But it’s definitely one of the top priorities I have right now in terms of working on a script.”
As Wingard mentioned above, he'll direct from a script co-written by his frequent collaborator, Simon Barrett (You’re Next, The Guest).
Advance sales for Dynamite Entertainment's recent comic book relaunch of the ThunderCats provides solid indication that interest in the classic Rankin Bass animated series remains high so WB and Wingard likely shouldn't hold off too long on moving forward with the film.
Debuting in 1985, the ThunderCats were a popular animated series that ran for 4 seasons, totaling 130 episodes. A 2011 reboot of the series aired on Cartoon Network for 26 episodes before being canceled due to poor merchandise sales. Likewise, a Teen Titans Go!-inspired third reboot, 2020's ThunderCats Roar, also failed to gain traction with audiences.
It should also be noted that there's no guarantee that the ThunderCats movie will be the next film that Wingard directs. He's also signed on to helm a remake of the 1997 John Travolta and Nicolas Cage sci-fi action-thriller, Face/Off.
Plus, if The New Empire proves successful, there's no guarantee that Wingard won't sign on to helm another MonsterVerse film. Godzilla vs Kong earned $470 million at the box office in 2021, during a time when WB opted to release films simultaneously on HBO Max, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Early box office tracking for the film indicates that The New Empire will greatly exceed the previous film's earnings.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire arrives in theaters on March 29.