Mothra: Earth's Protector

Mothra: Earth's Protector is an American Epic Monster film directed by James Cameron. A follow-up to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), it is the sixth

installment of the MonsterVerse (and the final film for Phase 1) and the fifth film in the Mothra Franchise as well as the first Mothra film to be completely produced by an American film studio. The film stars Zhang Ziyi, Laurence Fishburne, Robert De Niro, John Boyega, Ed Harris, Steven Yuen, William Jackson Harper, Auli'i Cravalho and Ed Skrein.

In the film, a team of scientists from the scientific organization Monarch witness the reincarnation of Mothra, who must stop a new threat called Desghidorah, who seeks to end the world.

A Mothra Solo Film set in the MonsterVerse was speculated by fans since the confirmation of more films. James Cameron was offered to direct the film, and he eventually gave in. The film was filmed simultaneously with Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Avatar: The Seed Bearer (2025). Filming was complete in April 2024. The film was written by Josh Friedman.

Mothra: Earth's Protector theatrically released on September 5, 2025 in the United States. The film received very positive reviews from critics and fans, who praised the visual effects, music, tone, cinematography and James Cameron's direction. It was a major box office success, breaking multiple records and grossing over $800 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2025 and the most successful film in the MonsterVerse at it's time. Among it's many accolades, the film was nominated for 10 awards at the 98th Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won Best Visual Effects and Best Sound.

Plot
In an animated prologue, millions of years ago, an evil three-headed titan named Desghidorah arrived on Earth and battles the moth Titans that ruled all of Asia. The Moths served as the protectors of the continent. After the battle, Desghidorah is imprisoned inside Mt. Fuji. In the present, one last moth remains, who was given the gift of reincarnation and immortality: Mothra.

Shortly after the events of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Monarch finds a series of Cave Paintings depicting the battle deep in the Hollow Earth.

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Cast
· Zhang Ziyi as Dr. Ilene Chen and Dr. Ling

· Laurence Fishburne as (TBA)

· Robert De Niro as (TBA)

· John Boyega as (TBA)

· Ed Harris as Clark Nelson

· Steven Yuen as (TBA)

· William Jackson Harper as (TBA)

· Auli'i Cravalho as (TBA)

· Ed Skrein as (TBA)

Titans and Superspecies
· Mothra

· Desghidorah

· Fairy Mothra

· Ghogo

· Garugaru

· Mogu

· Leafwings

· Sker Buffalo

· Godzilla (Mentioned)

· King Kong (Mentioned)

· Triceratops (Skull)

· Battra (Cave Paintings)

· King Ghidorah (Cave Paintings)

· Monster X (Cave Paintings)

· Dagahra (Cave Paintings)

· Bagan (Temple Statues)

Weapons, vehicles, races and organizations
· Monarch

· Hollow Earth Ariel Vehicle

· Spider-Drone

· Mitsubishi F-15J

· General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper

· General Atomic MQ-1 Predator

· Mitsubishi F-2

Development
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Writing and influences
In an interview about the film in May 2025, Cameron cited The End of Evangelion (1997) as an inspiration of the film. Cameron stated, "It was very great influence. I saw the horrifyingly beautiful sequence showing an angel in the form of a gigantic Rei Ayanami assimilating mankind by turning them into primordial soup. In my film, Desghidorah is gonna basically do this if he is not stopped, but unlike The End of Evangelion, it would affect the entire planet. Desghidorah would not assimilate all life, he would basically be feeding on life. Mothra has visions of this, proving that 'oh he's gotta go!'"

The opening prologues of Watership Down (1978) and Moana (2016) were inspirations of this film's animated prologue. Cameron stated, "Both film's openings we're visually beautiful, Watership Down's especially."

Josh Friedman was was hired by Cameron to write the script in January 2024.

Casting
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Filming
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Visual effects
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Runtime
In July 2025, producer Michael Dougherty revealed that the runtime was 2 hours and 35 minutes (155 minutes). Mothra: Earth's Protector is the first MonsterVerse film to be nearly 3 hours in length.

Music
Simon Franglen, composer of the Avatar Sequels, composed the score for Mothra: Earth's Protector. The scoring for Mothra: Earth's Protector began in March 2024. The soundtrack album was released on September 10, 2025, by WaterTower Music.

On August 20, 2025, it was announced that British singer Seal and American Rapper Kid Cudi would collaborate and contribute an original song called "Queen of Earth."

Track Listing

 * 1) Queen of Earth (feat. Seal and Kid Cudi)
 * 2) A Prologue
 * 3) Art of the Hollow World
 * 4) The Chosen One
 * 5) Fairy
 * 6) The Possible Awakening
 * 7) Desghidorah (Written by Toshiyuki Watanabe)
 * 8) Aftermath
 * 9) Sacred Springs (Written by Akira Ifukube)
 * 10) The Mighty Mothra
 * 11) Attack Preparation
 * 12) Mogu's Awakening
 * 13) The Plan of God
 * 14) Mothra vs. Mogu
 * 15) Speak of the Devil With Three Heads (Written by Toshiyuki Watanabe)
 * 16) Evacuation
 * 17) Attack on London
 * 18) Mothra returns
 * 19) Rays of light
 * 20) Mothra's Decision
 * 21) Final Stand
 * 22) The End of Desghidorah
 * 23) Epilogue
 * 24) The Earth's Protector (End Credits Suite)

Marketing
The first screenshot was released online on January 10, 2025. The first trailer of the film was released online a month later on February 10, 2025. The trailer received positive reviews from fans and critics, admiring the similar tone to the Avatar films.

In May 2025, Legendary announced the film's tie-in comic based on the film, as well as a novelization, an Art Book titled "The Art of Mothra: Origins of the Earth's Protector," and a children's book. Among the licenses of the film included Playmates Toys, Bandai, The Lego Group, Funko, McDonald's, Bioworld, Rubies, 60Out, The Virtual Reality Company, Kellogg's, the Nature Conservancy and Ultra Beauty.

A tie-in Video Game by Warner Bros. Games, Bandai Namco and Ubisoft was revealed. The second trailer premiered on June 22, 2025 at Jimmy Kimmel Live! A new poster was also released. A 20 minute clip of the film was released exclusively at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con in July. The final trailer was released on August 8, 2025 as well as serval new posters and TV spots days later.

Home Media
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Box Office
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Critical Response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 100% "fresh" approval rating based on 400 reviews with an average rating of 9.0/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "James Cameron's newest triumph brings new lore to the MonsterVerse while also telling a complex, understandable story kaiju fans enjoy."

Accolades
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