Zhang Ziyi Joins “Godzilla” Sequel and Legendary’s Monsterverse as Key Monarch Figure

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Chinese superstar Zhang Ziyi has joined the cast of GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS and Legendary’s larger Monsterverse, the studio announced Thursday.

Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford and Ken Watanabe will star in the Godzilla sequel, which is set several years after the events of the 2014 film.

Ziyi will play a significant figure within the covert Monarch organization established in Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla, and she’ll no doubt appear in further entries in this cinematic universe.

Michael Dougherty is directing the sequel from a script he co-wrote with Zach Shields. Warner Bros. will release the monster movie on March 22, 2019.

Ziyi is best known for starring in martial arts films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, The Grandmaster and Hero, though she also earned a Golden Globe nomination for her dramatic performance in Memoirs of a Geisha.

The actress is a huge star in China, and her presence in the Monsterverse will certainly help its films succeed at the Chinese box office. Ziyi, who will soon be seen in Bad Robot’s untitled Cloverfield movie, is represented by ICM Partners and Mosaic.

 Jeff Sneider | Editor in Chief