In the heat of all the franchise and multi-verse fever that dominates Hollywood these days, sometimes people get cynical and forget that these movies are supposed to be like dreams coming true. Once upon a time, seeing our favorite pop culture icons sharing the screen together on the scale we see them mingle today seemed like the stuff of fantasy. Now it’s commonplace, and some people complain about fatigue and over-abundance. I get it, but when it comes to Godzilla and Kong mixing it up in the near future — possibly along with other iconic kaiju titans — I feel lucky to be alive.
Legendary’s Monsterverse has been a wonderful thing for cinema. The studio saw that there was a colossal hole in the marketplace for big beasties that needed to be filled and provided a behemoth alternative to caped crusaders. First they gave us the Godzilla reboot, followed by Kong: Skull Island, and next year they’ll unleash Godzilla: King of the Monsters. And this triple punch of knockouts will lead nicely into 2020’s Godzilla vs. Kong, which is shaping up to be the cinematic showdown for the ages.
Anyway, the latest development from the Monsterverse is exciting and revolves around Demian Bichir, the Oscar-nominated sensation who also sometimes stars in silly movies like The Nun and Machete Kills. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor is in talks with Legendary to star in an unspecified role at the Adam Wingard‘s upcoming monster mash. Details about everything is being kept close to the vest for now, though it is safe to assume that the movie will feature some monster smackdowns, the likes of which will make Toho proud.
I’ve already shared my excitement about the film’s casting thus far. The humans this movie is assembling are a great mix of of youthful talent and actors who are on the way to great things down the line. Bichir, on the other hand, will bring some veteran chops to proceedings, and he’s further proof Legendary is going all-out to make sure the cast is stuffed with quality. Plus, the notion of Bichir starring alongside the likes of Millie Bobby Brown, Julian Dennison, and Brian Tyree Henry is fascinating as it’s such a strong and varied mix of performers.
Despite being a familiar face in Hollywood, Bichir is still underrated in the grand scheme of things. A Better Life garnered acclaim and gained him some exposure on the awards circuit, but in recent times he’s been lending his talents to horror franchises. Unfortunately, those franchises were The Conjuring and Alien, neither of which exactly showcased anyone involved at the best of their abilities due to the films themselves not exactly being anything memorable or worthwhile. Sorry, guys.
Still, Bichir’s performance in The Nun was solid despite the movie being generic scare fare. And he does tend to make an impression in most movies he’s in, even in small roles as part of a great ensemble. For the little he had to do in The Hateful Eight, his character — despite being somewhat of a Mexican caricature with so little to work with — was memorable thanks to the actor’s comedic chops.
My first exposure to Bichir was through his portrayal of a villainous agent in Machete Kills, a movie that I was looking forward to at the time that ended up disappointing me greatly. However, Bichir was one of the few positives on display and made the whole thing somewhat bearable whenever he was on the screen. While his character in this movie has yet to be confirmed, I’d love to see him take on the role of a corrupt sort again. Make him a madman who wants to use the monsters for his own gain only to get his comeuppance later. The best colossal creature movies remind us that humanity is the real monster at the end of the day. Bichir would excel at establishing this idea in the context of Godzilla vs. Kong.
We can only dream for now. Whatever Bichir’s part is will hopefully be a good one, though. He’s a reliable actor with the ability to make an impression in any type of movie — from prestige drama to generic thrills. Being a part of the Monsterverse — even if it’s just for this flick — will allow him to gain more massive mainstream exposure and add another popular franchise to his resume. Besides, which actor in their right mind doesn’t dream of being in a movie Godzilla, Kong, and possibly even Mothra and Rodan?
Before Godzilla vs Kong, we can also look forward to seeing Bichir in Chaos Walking, another western remake of The Grudge. But if you prefer big monsters to ghosts, we don’t have that long to wait for this beast. Godzilla vs Kong will hit theaters in the summer of 2020.