Before diving into the world of major Hollywood studios, Wingard made a name for himself in independent cinema with several critically acclaimed projects. His filmography includes A Horrible Way to Die, the witty slasher You’re Next, and the stylish thriller The Guest, which garnered significant praise in 2014. However, his subsequent foray into franchise filmmaking saw mixed results, with the Blair Witch remake and Netflix's Death Note receiving less favorable reviews. It was with the Monsterverse that he found his footing again, directing Godzilla vs. Kong and its sequel, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Despite his success with the Kaiju titans, Wingard did not return to direct Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, a project now helmed by Grant Sputore (I Am Mother). And he had a compelling reason for his decision.
Wingard's distinctive pop vision of the Toho-created universe.
Done with Godzilla
Instead of committing to Supernova, Wingard pivoted back to a more independent project, Onslaught, which was distributed by A24 and released in U.S. theaters. It was during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter for Onslaught that he shed light on his Hollywood journey, confirming that he had indeed considered completing his own Godzilla trilogy.
"It wasn't like I was kicked out of the Monsterverse. We tried to make it work. I said, 'Look, I really want to do Onslaught. I really need to do my own thing.' But they had deadlines they couldn't push back. So it was a Sophie's Choice situation because I feel like the Monsterverse characters belong to me, I love them. I knew the story I wanted to tell next, and we were all in agreement and aligned on what we were going to do with it."
"Ultimately, I've been making franchise films for over 10 years. At some point, I thought: I love doing these things. These are the types of films that made me want to make films in the first place, but I'm aligning myself with cinematic rules pre-established by someone else. I felt like I was losing my voice, and I felt like people no longer recognized me as a director. You're Next and The Guest are two films that better represented me and my style. And since they're from a long time ago, I needed to get back in shape."
Ironically, Onslaught hasn't quite achieved the comeback Wingard might have hoped for, receiving a lukewarm reception from English-language critics and underperforming at the box office. While it currently lacks a release date in France, Godzilla x Kong: Supernova is slated to hit French theaters on March 24, 2027.