In 2014, audiences were given Godzilla, a return to the original monster who had not been given a good American treatment back in 1998.  The film was relatively well-received, and it should surprise anyone that in an age of connected cinematic universes that this film was never intended to stand alone, but be part of several monster movies.  This is what is known about Godzilla 2, Kong: Skull Island, and Godzilla vs. King Kong release dates and news. 

The sad part is the plan for Godzilla and these monsters is a long one.  Kong: Skull Island is planned for a release date on March 10, 2017.  Considering that this film takes place in the same universe as the 2014 Godzilla, it stands to reason that it is another retelling of the King Kong story for this new universe. 

So far, there isn't all that much known about Kong: Skull Island, but Cinemablend reveals that Tom Hiddleston (who plays Loki in the Marvel Connected Universe) plays a man to embarks on a journey to Skull Island in order to find a serum that can cure all diseases.  John Goodman will also be along for the ride as a government agent named Randa, and it is not clear what his involvement is.  According to the film's imdb page, Samuel L. Jackson is along for the ride, but it is not known what role he plays.

So it doesn't look like the classic King Kong setup with a filmmaker and the map are part of the story here, but this could be a set-up.  Unlike the last outing from Peter Jackson that took place in the Great Depression (at the time of the original film's release date) this one might take place in the 1970s, which is the time of the remake with Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange. 

Perhaps Kong: Skull Island will finally tell the story of how director Carl Denham managed to get a hold of the map that lead to this mysterious island.  This was always a plot-point that wasn't really well-developed in any version of the classic story.  If so, then this is actually a pretty smart move. 

So after Kong: Skull Island debuts next year, it should hopefully bring some light into this story.  Eventually Godzilla 2 will be released on March 22, 2019.  However, there has been a snag as the director of the 2014 Godzilla movie, Gareth Edwards, has completely dropped out of the project.  Edwards was originally slated to direct the King of Monsters second outing after he finished Star Wars: Rouge One (another film set in a connected film universe), but iO9 reports him leaving completely "on amicable terms". 

Godzilla 2 is expected to bring about the classic monster Mothra and many others, but as for what is next...well...Godzilla vs. King Kong is slated for a May 20, 2020 release.  That's right, Godzilla will face King Kong again.  This has happened before in films, but something like this is planned to be even more epic.  Let's hope this confrontation works better than Warner Brother's last "big battle" movie of Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, (yet another connected universe).