Adam Wingard
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It looks like another Godzilla x Kong movie will have to wait.
Adam Wingard, who directed the last two of the hit Legendary MonsterVerse movies, has lined up a new feature project that will go before any new creature feature.
A24, the one-time scrappy indie that is rapidly scaling up, came out on top of an auction to pick up Onslaught, an action thriller that reteams Wingard with his frequent collaborator Simon Barrett. The two made the cult hits You’re Next and The Guest.
Wingard and Barrett are writing the project with Wingard on board to direct. It is said to have a scope more in line with his early movies, which were all original creations. Details for Onslaught are being kept behind the barricades, but sources describe it as a gonzo action horror thriller that will shoot this fall.
The filmmaker does not have a deal for a new Godzilla x Kong, per sources, but he is expected to return, though Onslaught would happen first.
A24’s acquisition of Onslaught highlights the company’s new ethos of being aggressive with deals. A24 beat out several studios for the project, including Legendary, home of Wingard’s MonsterVerse movies, which had been a frontrunner. And sources add that A24 came in so hard that the deal pushed the company’s boundaries in that it will give Wingard an ownership stake in the movie as well as an aggressive backend.
The deal closed earlier this week. It marks the second project A24 has come out on top of, surprising rival executives, thanks for their aggressive moves. Just last night, the company scooped up a Ben Mezrich book proposal centered on the Carlsen-Niemann chess scandal and which has Nathan Fielder attached to direct.
Aaron Ryder and Andrew Swett will produce Onslaught under their Ryder Picture Company banner alongside A24, and Alexander Black for Lyrical Media. Wingard and manager Jeremy Platt will also produce, via their new shingle Breakaway Civilization, along with Barrett.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has grossed over $522 million worldwide and is on its way to becoming the top MonsterVerse film both in the U.S. and globally.
