Adam Wingard not returning for third Godzilla x Kong film

Adam Wingard won't be returning for a third 'Godzilla x Kong' movie.

The 41-year-old filmmaker recently directed 'Godzilla x Kong: New Empire' from his own script, and though it has grossed over $564 million worldwide since its release in late March and is set to become the highest-grossing of the five monsterverse films, he's reportedly parted ways with the franchise.

Sources told The Hollywood reporter Adam's departure from the series is amicable and is a result of timing issue, but the door remains open for him to return in the future.

Adam - who also directed 2021's 'Godzilla vs Kong' - is preparing to shoot action thriller 'Onslaught' in the autumn, which didn't fit into Legendary's plans to move quickly onto their next film featuring Godzilla and Kong.

They recently hired 'Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' writer Dave Callaham to pen a script, sparking speculation about Adam's future with the franchise.

Despite his departure, the 'Death Note' filmmaker previously admitted he has "more story to tell" in the monsterverse.

He told Discussing Film: "The whole idea that if you've done two movies, like, maybe you should just go ahead and do a third because, as you said, there's a trilogy in there.

"It just depends on how [‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’] does and how things kind of shape out.

"I do have more story to tell with these monsters, and I know where I'd go with it. I would be very excited to be able to come back on for another one if things worked out!"

Adam's priority in 'The New Empire' was the two titular beasts, so he deliberately opted for a small human cast.

He previously told The Hollywood Reporter: "In the development phase, my motto was, ‘Simplicity is key.’ And so I knew that if we created a smaller cast, we could create a more intimate story.

"We can still spend time with [the human characters], and at the same time, we can spend more time with the monsters and not shortchange one or the other."