Godzilla vs Kong Director Explains Why Charles Dance’s Character Didn’t Return

Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard explains the absence of Charles Dance’s character in the movie. The monster mash-up film premiered last month to generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the movie’s bombastic spectacle. The production broke pandemic box office records, collecting nearly $400 million in theatres while also becoming a streaming hit on HBO Max.

In the latest installment of Legendary’s “MonsterVerse”, Kong and his protectors set out to find the ape’s true home, before finding themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla. The project serves as a sequel to Kong: Skull Island (2017) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). Charles Dance’s character Alan Jonah is the overarching antagonist of the MonsterVerse franchise, known for his military background, misanthropic mentality, and dry humor. Dance last appeared in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, where a post-credit scene shows him purchasing one of King Ghidorah’s severed heads. This is a crucial act that links to the return of Mechagodzilla in Godzilla vs. Kong.

Fans couldn’t help but wonder what happened to Dance’s character after making no appearance in Godzilla vs. Kong. A Reddit user posed the question to the director in the AMA session. Mirroring the dark, sarcastic humor of Dance’s character, Wingard made no effort to let fans down gently:

Godzilla stepped on him in between movies unfortunately. But seriously I love Charles Dance. One of my favorite actors.

Although Wingard’s response may be in jest, it’s certainly possible that Godzilla: King of the Monsters was Dance’s swansong in the role. With middling returns to some entries in the current Godzilla trilogy, namely that second installment, the MonsterVerse is in a holding position. Neither Legendary Entertainment nor Warner Bros have announced future films in the franchise.

Though Dance will be missed by fans, his absence makes room for more villains to emerge should the MonsterVerse continue to expand. Jonah’s character is responsible for setting up the return of Mechagodzilla, Godzilla’s robotic doppelgänger first introduced in 1974. This made way for an iconic clash between the nemeses. Additionally, around 2010, Legendary entered talks with Toho Studios and acquired the rights to characters including Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah. While the end of Godzilla vs. Kong sets up potential sequels, the Toho deal actually expired in 2020. While Wingard’s comments seem to rule out a return of Dance, fans will certainly be curious to see how Jonah could interact with these monsters should the movies resume.

Source: Adam Wingard

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Jack Whitfield
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Jack Whitfield is an Entertainment Writer for Screen Rant.

He graduated from the University of Worcester in 2018 with an English Degree and a lifelong love of Joan Didion.

Jack loves all movies, but especially horrors and thrillers. He explores the campy side of horror in his podcast We Have To Scream.

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