Disney already has the perfect property to rival the blockbuster monster-movie crossovers of Legendary Pictures’Monsterverse— and it’ll be completely its own thing. The Monsterverse originated asa standalone American reboot of theGodzillafranchiseback in 2014. That movie was a big success, so a series of sequels and spinoffs were developed to introduce other classic monsters like Kong, Rodan, and King Ghidorah in that same shared cinematic universe. The Monsterverse, like The Conjuring Universe, has since gone on to become one of the highest-grossing cinematic universes not bearing the ol’ reliable Marvel brand.
For more than a decade now,the Monsterverse has dominated the monster movie market. Audiences love Godzilla and they love Kong, so they turn up in droves when a Monsterverse movie eitherpits Godzilla and Kong against each otheror teams them up to fight a common enemy. Since it has two of the biggest movie monsters sharing the screen, the Monsterverse seems to have a monopoly on this genre. ButDisney has two key assets that could disrupt the Monsterverse’s monster-movie domination— and the studio has already suggested it’s working on a crossover.
Alien Vs. Predator Can Be Disney’s Answer To The Godzilla x Kong Movies
Alien & Predator Are Just As Iconic As Godzilla & Kong
After its acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Disney is now in control of both theAlienandPredatorfranchises.The studio has made great use of these properties separately; in 2022,Predator’s straight-to-Hulu prequelPreyreinvigorated interest in the franchise, and in 2024,Alien: Romuluswas both a blockbuster smash at the box office and a critical hit hailed asthe bestAlienmovie sinceAliens.But Disney has yet to pair up these two iconic movie monsters— and they haven’t shared the screen since the underwhelmingAliens vs. Predator: Requiemback in 2007.
Predator: Badlandsis set to be released on August 02, 2025.
When it comes to monsters on the big screen, the titular beasts inAlienandPredatorare the only two that come close to matching the iconography of Godzilla, Kong, and Universal monsters like Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and the Wolf Man. If Disney wants to compete with Legendary’s Monsterverse outings, then its best shot would be to mount anotherAlien vs. Predatormovie.They’ve proven they can make a greatAlienmovie and a greatPredatormovie; perhaps they can do the impossible and make a greatAlien vs. Predatormovie, too.
A New Alien Vs. Predator Movie Would Be Nothing Like The First Two
The Studio Boss Promises A New AvP Movie Would Be “Organically Created Out Of These Two Franchises”
Disney has already floated the idea of a newAlien vs. Predatormovie. In a recent interview,20th Century Studios president Steve Asbell provided a lot of exciting updates forAlienandPredatorfans. He confirmed thata sequel toAlien: Romulusis in development to follow on with Rain and Andy’s journey from the first one, and he also teased that a secretPredatormovie has been shot and edited and is ready to be released. And not only that; he suggested that discussions are underway to bring back theAlien vs. Predatorcrossover franchise.
Are The Alien & Predator Movies Set In The Same Universe? Timeline, Canon, & Retcons Explained
The Alien and Predator franchises have had crossovers before, but the question of whether they share a universe and timeline is a complicated one.
Asbell’s comments about a potential newAlien vs. Predatormovieare very promising. He said that it wouldn’t be “anything like the original movies,” which told standalone, non-canonical stories about characters the audience had no attachment to. Instead,any futureAvPmovie would be “organically created out of these two franchises,” suggesting it would tie into ongoing characters and storylineswithin each franchise. It wouldn’t be a non-canonical bit of fun; it would be a canonical showdown. AnAlien vs. Predatormovie starring Cailee Spaeny and Amber Midthunder sounds a lot more exciting than a repeat ofRequiem.
Why Alien Vs. Predator Would Feel Very Different From Godzilla Vs. Kong
GvK Is A Big, Bombastic Action Movie; AvP Would Be More Horrific
The Monsterverse started off on a scary foot with Gareth Edwards’ terrifyingGodzillareboot, but the franchise quickly dropped its more horrific elements and became a straightforward action-adventure series.The fights and team-ups between Godzilla and Kong are a lot of fun, smashing through skyscrapers and doing WWE moves on a massive scale,but they’re not all that frightening. What would makeAlien vs. Predatordifferent is that it would be a horror movie, first and foremost.AlienandPredatorare both horror franchises that set out to spook their audiences with jump scares and gruesome imagery.
Whereas the Monsterverse’s Godzilla/Kong movies are a safe PG-13, a new Alien vs. Predator movie would have to be rated R.
Whereas theMonsterverse’s Godzilla/Kong movies are a safe PG-13, a newAlien vs. Predatormovie would have to be rated R. The originalAlien vs. Predatormovie was rated PG-13, and it really hurt the film’s action.Disney has proven withPreyandAlien: Romulusthat it’s not afraid to go hard-R with these franchisesand go all-in on the violence and bloodshed.Alien vs. Predatorwould makeGodzilla vs. Konglook like a kids’ movie.
Monsterverse
The Monsterverse is a giant kaiju franchise that began in 2014 with Legendary’s Godzilla starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Olsen. The film was followed up by Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs Kong, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
