An unmadeKing Kong vs. Godzillasequel promised a fight that theMonsterversenow has an opportunity to deliver, even if it’ll be several decades late. For years, the 1962 film remained the sole project to feature both the King of the Monsters and the King of Skull Island. But since 2021, there’s been two additional films to pit the two against each other. What’s more, another will arrive in 2026 in the form of anuntitledGodzilla x Kong: The New Empiresequel.
The numbers of movies Godzilla and Kong will have made together by 2026 is astounding, when looking at what came before. Other thanKing Kong vs. Godzilla, Toho - the owners of Godzilla - only produced one other King Kong movie when it held the rights to the monster. It had other plans for him as well, but none were followed through on. But thanks tothe Monsterverse’s movies, some of the ideas it had could finally reach fruition, especially since it’s been comparably more successful in getting the two monsters to share the big screen.
Toho Almost Made A King Kong vs. Godzilla Movie Featuring A Giant Scorpion
The Giant Scorpion Was An Apparent Replacement For The Octopus In King Kong vs. Godzilla
King Kong featured in two Toho films during the five-year stretch that the studio had access to the character. In addition tothe classicKing Kong vs. Godzilla, he also headlinedKing Kong Escapesalongside Gorosaurus and Mechani-Kong. Between these movies, he was also meant to appear inContinuation: King Kong vs. Godzilla. As indicated by the title, it would have been a direct sequel to the 1962 crossover that notably ended in Godzilla’s defeat. Presumably in an effort to offer some action that would help ease the slow setup for the rematch at the climax of the film,Continuationcalled for the introduction of a scorpion monster.
Similar to howKing Kong vs. Godzillasaw King Kong battle a giant octopus, the sequel was to preface the two titular monsters' showdown with a fight between Kong and a lesser enemy. This time around, the foe in question would have been a giant scorpion. Using its stinger, it would have targeted Kong’s throat, only to have his tail grabbed by the ape. Unsurprisingly,the battle would have concluded with King Kong emerging triumphant and killing the scorpion.
It’s not clear why the movie was abandoned, but the scorpion fight in itself could be a clue.
Of course, the fight never came to pass. That, along with the planned rematch between Godzilla and Kong and most other aspects of the film were scrapped when the project was cancelled. It’s not clear why it was abandoned, but the scorpion fight itself could be a clue. As previously noted, it was quite similar to the octopus battle inKing Kong vs. Godzilla, and the same can be said for several other story beats in the treatment. So, as John LeMay’sThe Big Book of Giant Japanese Monster Movies: The Lost Filmspoints out, it may very well be that Toho deemed the film to be a bit too repetitive.
How Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Seemingly Set Up A Scorpion Titan
A Scorpion Titan May Dwell Beneath An Ancient Temple In Turkey
Curiously, the Monsterverse version of King Kong may actually co-exist with a giant scorpion. The redacted text ofGodzilla: King of the Monstersconcealed a set of coordinates: 37.21870, 38.855563. These coordinates are for Gobleki Tepe, an archaeological site in Turkey. Gobleki Tepe is widely believed to be one of the oldest known temple on the planet, having been constructed approximately 12,000 years ago. Found on the ruins of the temple are depictions of a scorpion, which provide a hint as to the coordinates' significance in the Monsterverse.
It’s possible thatthe ancient people of Turkey were aware of a scorpion Titanthat resided in the region. This could explain why the temple was erected in the first place. It’s already known viaKing of the Monstersthat Titans were worshiped by humans, so it’s not implausible that in the Monsterverse, the temple was meant to be a place where humans paid tribute to the scorpion Titan, who may have been a god in their minds.
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As for whether this Titan should be counted as a threat, the line that followed the coordinates reveal inKing of the Monstersdoes indeed suggest that the creature should be regarded as a malevolent force: “But how long will it take for the fires to awaken…and send our own civilization into collapse?” Unless the coordinates were just randomly inserted into these messages, it stands to reason that the line is a warning about something found at that location.
Godzilla x Kong’s Sequel Could Honor The Canceled Movie’s King Kong Fight
Will Kong Fight A Scorpion Titan In The Monsterverse?
Anything that has the potential to send “civilization into collapse” feels like a prime candidate for a villain role in a future Monsterverse movie. It could be, like so many otherTitans in the Monsterverse, the mystery scorpion monster is hibernating beneath the place where it was once worshipped milennia ago. Recent events in the Monsterverse timeline, or perhaps something that occurs at the start of the Godzilla x Kong sequel, could result in the creature finally waking up. If so, this could trigger the seemingly catastrophic event referenced inGodzilla: King of the Monsters’ending.
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If the scorpion Titan burrows its way intoKong’s Hollow Earth world, it could find itself in a fight with its alpha. Such a conflict could technically be used to drive the story of the sequel, but that’s only if it lives up to the villainous potential promised for it byKing of the Monsters. Alternatively, the Monsterverse could use it as one of several monster fights to precede the final battle.Godzilla x Kong, for instance, featured a handful of battles leading up to Godzilla and Kong’s team-up against Shimo and Skar King. The scorpion Titan could fulfill the same purpose, which perfectly fall in line with what Toho originally had planned forContinuation: King Kong vs. Godzilla.
A scorpion villain serving as an opponent to Kong would be an interesting course for the movie to take, and not because it would pay homage toa cancelled Godzilla-King Kong crossover. There’s also the fact that there’s never been a giant scropion in the Godzilla franchise. Over the years, Godzilla and his allies have fought all manner of monsters inspired by real animals. He’s clashed with a giant lobster (Ebirah), a cockroach (Megalon), a vulture, praying mantises (Kamacuras), and a spider (Kumonga), just to name a few. But one thing the Godzilla series has never entertained is a scorpion, and in that respect, theMonsterversecould facilitate a franchise first.
Monsterverse
The Monsterverse is a giant kaiju franchise that began in 2014 with Legendary’s Godzilla starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Olsen. The film was followed up by Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs Kong, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
