King Kong is "very much like John McClane" in Godzilla vs. Kong, says director

King Kong has had many labels in his illustrious on-screen career: The Eighth Wonder of the World, King of Skull Island, and now, a bit like Bruce Willis’ character in Die Hard. Wait… what?

Don’t worry, we're not going to see the monkey reeling off one-liners and crawling through vents. It’s certainly not an unrealistic tag when taking into account Kong’s role in the upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong.

In an interview with our sister publication SFX Magazine, director Adam Wingard said: "Kong in this film is very much like [Die Hard’s] John McClane. He’s got the ’80s action-hero vibe."

That includes a McClain-esque mountain to climb for Kong in his duel with Godzilla. "The best of those heroes always have more shit dumped on them. They can’t get a break. They still have to punch through and overcome," Wingard explains.

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That even extends to the location of Godzilla and Kong’s throwdowns. One of the early battles peeked in the Godzilla vs. Kong trailer is a tidal tussle at sea. It’s very much the nuclear lizard’s home turf and, again, that stacks things against Kong in a big way.

"Because Godzilla really has the upper hand in the ocean, and he kinda has the upper hand on Kong regardless, it’s stacking up as many problems and obstacles in that classic action-hero way," the director adds.

Find out how – and if – Kong yippee-ki-yays his way out of that one when Godzilla vs. Kong is available to rent at home in the UK on April 1. In the US it’s heading to the theaters and HBO Max simultaneously on March 31.

For more from SFX’s cover feature on Godzilla vs. Kong, check out the new issue – and be sure to sign up to the newsletter for all the latest news and exclusives.