Washington [US], February 20 : Actor Jack O'Connell has joined the cast of the latest instalment of its Godzilla-King Kong creature feature franchise.
Grant Sputore, best known for directing I Am Mother, is stepping in to helm the sequel from a script by Dave Callaham.
O'Connell joins a cast that includes Kaitlyn Dever, as well as Dan Stevens, who reprises his role as veterinarian Trapper Beasley from last year's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the franchise's highest-grossing instalment to date, reported Deadline.
So far, plot details have been kept under wraps. Still, the upcoming instalment will involve several new human characters, alongside Titans Godzilla and Kong, as they face off against a cataclysmic world-ending threat, as per the outlet.
Ten years in, Legendary's Monsterverse franchise launched with 2014's Godzilla and includes Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Netflix's animated spin-off Skull Island, and the Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Released by Warner Bros, the films have collectively grossed over $2.5 billion worldwide, according to Deadline.
O'Connell gave critically acclaimed performances in the independent films Starred Up (2013) and '71 (2014), garnering nominations for the British Independent Film Awards. He also featured in Unbroken (2014) and received the BAFTA Rising Star Award. He has since starred in the thriller Money Monster (2016), the biographical drama Trial by Fire (2018), The North Water (2021), SAS: Rogue Heroes (2022-2025), and the Amy Winehouse biographical film Back to Black (2024).
He will next be seen in a supernatural horror film written and directed by Ryan Coogler, 'Sinners', a post-apocalyptic horror film produced and directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland, '28 Years Later', and also in '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple', an upcoming post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Nia DaCosta and written by Alex Garland. It will be the sequel to 28 Years Later (2025) and the fourth in the 28 Days Later film series.