The New Empire’ Cast and Character Guide

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is set to rampage into theaters soon, and just like the previous Monsterverse films, the Godzilla vs. Kong sequel boasts a star-studded cast of human characters. The human storylines of prior films aren’t usually treated with as much urgency as the monster fighting, but Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s characters have some added pressure this time around. That’s because the latest non-Monsterverse Godzilla film, that being the record-breaking Godzilla Minus One, shattered expectations with an exceptional human storyline populated by fleshed-out characters.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire showcases the titular titans as they learn that Kong’s species is still alive and well, living within the confines of Hollow Earth. However, their violent leader, known as The Skar King, has plans to invade the surface, putting humanity in the crosshairs of extinction. It’s good that Kong and Godzilla have some new upgrades, as they’ll need all the help they can get to combat a threat like this. They’ll also get some help from their human companions, who, again, are filled up with some stars that you’ll more than likely recognize. To learn more about who is joining the two kings of the Monsterverse in their latest quest, here is a comprehensive cast and character guide for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Rebecca Hall

Dr. Ilene Andrews

First up for the human cast members is Rebecca Hall as Dr. Ilene Andrews, who should be a familiar face for fans of Godzilla vs. Kong. The BAFTA Award winner’s long career of prestigious work includes The Prestige, Iron Man 3, The Gift, and more.

Dr. Ilene Andrews made her first onscreen appearance in Kong vs. Godzilla, where she dedicated her life to studying and understating the eighth wonder of the world, Kong. She did this by becoming a linguistic specialist for the shadowy monster oversight organization Monarch, and she conducted most of her studies on Kong’s home, Skull Island. There, she met a young native resident of Skull Island named Jia (Kaylee Hottle), who seemed to have a unique and close connection with Kong. With Jia’s help, Ilene even learned how to communicate with Kong through primary sign language. When Godzilla began attacking seemingly indiscriminately, Ilene, Jia, and another human companion named Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgård) begin preparing Kong to enter battle with Godzilla. However, they eventually discover that Godzilla was not deliberately attacking innocent humans and was instead trying to stop the creation of Mechagodzilla.

Brian Tyree Henry

Bernie Hayes

Another character returning from Godzilla vs. Kong is Bernie Hayes, played once again by Oscar nominee Brian Tyree Henry. The actor has starred in roles ranging from laugh-out-loud hilarious to meaningful and dramatic, with his recent work including Bullet Train, Causeway, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Even in a world populated by monsters, there are still plenty of conspiracy theorists, and Bernie Hayes was among the few of them who were actually correct. Hayes used to work for Apex Cybernetics, and he began to suspect that the shadowy company was working on something big and dangerous behind the scenes. With the help of two smart and pushy teens, Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown) and Josh Valentine (Julian Dennison), Hayes’ suspicions were proven right when they discovered that Apex Cybernetics was behind the creation of Mechagodzilla.

Kaylee Hottle

Jia

The last returning character that we know of for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is Kaylee Hottle as Jia. Since making her acting debut in Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will be Hottle’s second ever feature film.

Jia is a descendant of the Iwi people – the peaceful tribe of locals that worshipped Kong and were first introduced in Kong: Skull Island. It was the villains of Kong: Skull Island, the lizard-like Skull Crawlers, that killed Jia’s family, leading her to enter the care of Dr. Ilene Andrews, who would later go on to adopt the child. Be it her relationship with the Iwi or the fact that she was only a child, Jia is the only person on Earth to form a lasting friendship and bond with Kong. It’s a bond that will likely continue to be integral and necessary to the plot of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

Dan Stevens

Trapper

Dan Stevens will be joining the Monsterverse as a brand-new character, with the Downton Abbey and Solar Opposites star playing the character of Trapper.

Trapper is among the most mysterious characters in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, as details around him are being kept under wraps apart from him being a lead character. Given his nickname, there’s perhaps a good chance he’s some sort of Monster-catching expert who crosses paths with Kong and Godzilla.

Rachel House, Alex Ferns, Fala Chen, and Mercy Cornwall as TBD

Dan Stevens isn’t the only new figure joining the Monsterverse, as several other actors are playing yet-to-be-disclosed roles. This includes Hunt for the Wilderpeople star Rachel House, The Batman star Alex Ferns, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Fala Chen.

Godzilla

King of the Monsters

The monster that started it all, Godzilla has a history in filmmaking that long predates the Monsterverse. The character was conceived a cautionary tale of nuclear experimentation and war in the original 1954 classic. Though the Monsterverse continues the Western interpretation of the character, Godzilla creator Toho is still making new Godzilla films to this day, with hits like Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One.

The Monsterverse version of Godzilla’s story began in 2014 with the simply titled Godzilla. Here, the lizard monster emerged from the depths to kill a pair of dangerous MUTOs, even revealing himself to the rest of the world in the process. Godzilla: King of the Monsters continues this story by showing Godzilla go toe to toe with several other monsters, including an ancient extra-terrestrial rival called King Ghidorah. While he was considered a protector of humanity for a long time, Godzilla vs. Kong almost made it seem like the lizard king turned on the human race, but eventually it was discovered that Godzilla merely wanted to stop his likeness from being replicated. The trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire shows that Godzilla has been hybernating and now boasts a new, pinkish look.

Kong

The Eighth Wonder of the World

Just like his larger-than-life costar, Kong has a long history in cinematic storytelling. In fact, Kong’s creation predates Godzilla’s since his first appearance was in 1933, later resulting in several sequels and reboots. Kong and Godzilla even fought before the Monsterverse was created in 1963’s King Kong vs. Godzilla.

The Monsterverse Kong was introduced to humanity during the events of Kong: Skull Island, where he defends his home from those who would invade his deadly but serene island. The film explains that the predatory Skull Crawlers killed Kong’s family, and he was left to believe he was the last of his kind. In Godzilla vs. Kong, where he has to face the lizard-like titan, Kong finds remnants of his people in Hollow Earth, even finding an axe made out of one of Godzilla’s scales. Godzilla ultimately defeats Kong in combat but also saves the lizard from Mechagodzilla. Kong also gets an upgrade in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in the form of a fancy new mechanical glove.

The Skar King

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will be doing something that hasn’t been done since the start of the Monsterverse. Instead of using classic Toho villains like King Ghidorah or Mechagodzilla, the upcoming film has an entirely original villain in The Skar King.

Kong may have been thrilled to learn that his species still exists, the reality behind their survival is cause for concern. Their leader is an orangutan-like giant ape called The Skar King, who is being touted as a massive threat the likes of which this continuity has never seen. The fact that the teaser trailer for the movie boasts the skulls of Kong and Godzilla implies that The Skar King will be a formidable opponent. Director Adam Wingard had the following to say about the anticipated villain:

“What’s interesting about this new film is that we go in a direction that I don’t think this series has ever seen before, which is that the Skar King is, in a way, the closest that the human threat has ever been juxtaposed onto a titan itself. The Skar King almost represents an upscaled version of the worst parts of humanity, just as Kong represents some of the best parts of humanity. I would say the Skar King is the greatest threat that we’ve seen in these movies. It’s really going to take a full team together to bring it down because it’s too big for just one titan!”

Suko

The Monsterverse is getting its own Grogu with Suko – an adorable mini-Kong.

Suko is the first evidence Kong finds that his people are still alive, and it’s already clear that young Suko will be instrumental in the conflict with this so-called “New Empire.”

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Kong and the fearsome Godzilla face off against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence – and our own.

Release Date

March 29, 2024

Writers

Terry Rossio , Simon Barrett , Jeremy Slater

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