Warner Bros. Postpones Legendary’s Godzilla x Kong and The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Films – Latest Updates

Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. announced on Thursday that the sequel to the Godzilla vs. Kong film, titled Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, has been postponed from March 15, 2024 to April 12, 2024.

The delay is a result of both companies also pushing back the release of the film Dune: Part Two from November 3 to March 15, 2024 due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. In order to avoid opening on the same day as Dune: Part Two, they decided to move Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire to a later date.

The feature film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Eden of the East), was originally scheduled to open on April 12, 2024. However, the companies have now delayed its release to December 13, 2024.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire will have IMAX screenings on its release date.

Adam Wingard (Death Note, The Guest, You’re Next) will return to direct the film. The movie is produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric McLeod, Thomas Tull, and Jon Jashni.

The first film opened internationally in March 2021 in territories where the HBO Max streaming service is not available. It later debuted in theaters in the United States, where it reached the number one spot. According to Box Office Mojo, the film has earned US$100,916,094 domestically and a total worldwide of US$470,116,094.

The film was released in Japan in July 2021, after being delayed from its original May 2021 opening. It topped the box office chart in Japan.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. The film is produced by New Line Cinema in partnership with Warner Bros. Animation. The animation studios for the film are handled by Sola Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute it.

The movie is described as an original anime feature that explores and expands the untold story behind the fortress of Helm’s Deep, focusing on the life and times of the mighty King of Rohan – Helm Hammerhand. It sets the stage for Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.

Joseph Chou (Blade Runner: Black Lotus TV series) is the producer, and Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) are the screenplay writers. Philippa Boyens, an Oscar-winner and part of the screenwriting team for the live-action The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, serves as a consultant on the project.

Jason DeMarco, senior vice president and head of anime and action series at Adult Swim, as well as senior vice president in the anime and action series/longform department at Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, is a producer on the film, confirming that it will be in 2D.

Sources: Legendary Entertainment‘s Twitter account, Deadline (Anthony D’Alessandro)