Godzilla vs Kong director Adam Wingard first signed on to helm a live-action adaptation of the beloved '80s ThunderCats animated series back in March 2021. However, since it was first announced that Wingard would be directing the pic for Warner Bros, news on the project has been scarce.
Wingard followed up his work on Godzilla vs Kong with another entry in the MonsterVerse cinematic series, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which will hit North American theaters at the end of the month.
While promoting the film, Wingard briefly touched on where things stand on the ThunderCats movie, adding that he had just finished working on the latest draft of the script before starting work on The New Empire.
Speaking to io9, Wingard stated, "Simon [Barrett] and I are still actively working on the script. We finished our last draft basically right when I was going into production on this movie and we just had to put everything on hold. [But] right now we’re actively working on it again. So whether that means that’s the next thing I do or [not], I’m not sure. But it’s definitely one of the top priorities I have right now in terms of working on a script.”
As Wingard mentioned, he'll direct from a script co-written by Simon Barrett (You’re Next, The Guest).
Advance sales for Dynamite Entertainment's recent comic book relaunch of the ThunderCats provides solid indication that interest in the classic Rankin Bass animated series remains high so WB and Wingard likely shouldn't hold off too long on moving forward with the film.
Debuting in 1985, the ThunderCats were a popular animated series that ran for 4 seasons, totaling 130 episodes. A 2011 reboot of the series aired on Cartoon Network for 26 episodes before being canceled due to poor merchandise sales. Likewise, a Teen Titans Go!-inspired third reboot, 2020's ThunderCats Roar, also failed to gain traction with audiences.
It should also be noted that there's no guarantee that the ThunderCats movie will be the next film that Wingard directs. He's also signed on to helm a remake of the 1997 John Travolta and Nicolas Cage sci-fi action-thriller, Face/Off.
Plus, if The New Empire proves successful, there's no guarantee that Wingard won't sign on to helm another MonsterVerse film. Godzilla vs Kong earned $470 million at the box office in 2021, during a time when WB opted to release films simultaneously on HBO Max, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Early box office tracking for the film indicates that The New Empire will greatly exceed the previous film's earnings.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire arrives in theaters on March 29.