Things stomp along slowly but steadily in the MonsterVerse. Godzilla vs. Kong, first announced way back in 2017, seemed all set for a streaming debut as of late 2020--but in the joint venture between Legendary Entertainment and Warner Media, the latter threw a massive wrench in the works with its surprise announcement in December that it would put its entire 2021 theatrical line-up onto HBO Max.

　　After a brewing legal clash and some back and forth in the intervening weeks, The Hollywood Reporter is now indicating the two companies are nearing a deal to resolve release plans for Godzilla vs. Kong. An agreement means the parties are close to averting a potential legal confrontation. Deadline is also reporting that a settlement seems likely, with Godzilla vs. Kong keeping its previously announced simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release date on May 21.

　　Meanwhile, another battle between the companies is persisting over Denis Villeneuve’s Dune--whose Oct. 1 release still seems complicated. The director famously slammed the decision to release digitally over theaters, placing blame in a Variety opinion piece on Warner Media's parent company AT&T for "[hijacking] one of the most respectable and important studios in film history."

　　"Streaming services are a positive and powerful addition to the movie and TV ecosystems," Villeneuve wrote in Variety. "But I want the audience to understand that streaming alone can't sustain the film industry as we knew it before COVID. Streaming can produce great content, but not movies of Dune's scope and scale."

　　David Wolinsky on Google+