Taking over for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire director Adam Wingard, Grant Sputore is entering Legendary’s Monsterverse with the upcoming, sixth installment of the franchise. But before that, Sputore is tackling Kaiju in comic books, for Dark Horse Comics, with the new book Behemoth.
Co-written by Sputore (who also directed I Am Mother) and Ryan Engle, with art and colors by Jay Martin, and letters by Frank Cvetkovic, Behemoth focuses on a group of bus passengers swallowed whole by a giant monster. Trapped in the belly of the beast, literally, they find out they’re not alone inside.
“Being a life-long Kaiju fan, I quite frequently find myself imagining giant monsters rampaging through whatever city I happen to be in,” Sputore said via press release provided to Comic Book Club. “Enjoying one such vision, back in 2022, I found myself struck by a thought: ‘how have we had 70 years of giant monster movies, but no one has ever told the story of the poor souls trapped inside a subway car as it’s devoured by a Kaiju?’ From that moment, I’ve been on a long journey to bring this David vs Goliath story to life, with the help of Ryan and Jay’s boundless genius. Most recently, I’ve been invited to play in Legendary’s Monsterverse, which is clearly a dream come true for a kaiju fan like me – but for those interested, my first foray into the world of Kaiju storytelling can be found within the wild pages of BEHEMOTH.”
Added Engle, “I’ve spent my entire career in film crafting claustrophobic action-thrillers, from NON-STOP to BEAST. BEHEMOTH takes this sub-genre to a new level in a way we’ve never seen before.”
And Martin noted, “Grant and Ryan’s concept for turning a Kaiju story literally inside-out is mind-blowing. As soon as I heard it, I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of.”
Behemoth #1 (of 4) will hit comic shops on January 15, 2024. Check out the full cover, below.
