'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' Trailer Breathes Epic Atomic Fire Down On Comic-Con

To many a casual consumer of Hollywood monster movies, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” will be seen as a mere warm-up round to the colossal crossover smackdown that is 2020’s “Godzilla vs. Kong.” But for the learned aficionado of Kaiju cinema (the kind who’s already seen the giant ape triumph over the big lizard in 1962’s “King Kong vs. Godzilla”), next year’s multi-monster melee is the real main event.

READ MORE: Comic-Con 2018 Preview: ‘Aquaman,’ ‘Glass,’ ‘Deadpool 2’ & More

‘King of the Monsters’ will see the atomic-breathed titan reunite with his old frenemies Mothra and Rodan, along with Godzilla’s greatest foe King Ghidorah. These four beasts will be butting their combined six heads in a big-budget update of the outsized monster matches that Toho Studios spent several decades cranking out. And because cinematic universes are all the rage right now, it’s the overarching plan of Warner Bros. Pictures to reproduce the Japanese production company’s success on a blockbuster scale, with this next film serving as the third installment in the studio’s very own MonsterVerse.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Following the global success of 2014’s”Godzilla” and this year’s “Kong: Skull Island,” comes the next chapter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ cinematic MonsterVerse: an epic action-adventure that pits Godzilla against some of the most popular monsters in pop culture history. The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.

Representing Team Human in the conflict will be actors Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, Thomas Middleditch, Charles Dance, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Aisha Hinds, and Zhang Ziyi. The film will be directed by “Krampus” helmsman Michael Dougherty.

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” opens May 31, 2019.