Culture 3 min read By Morgan Griffin
Adam Wingard Explains Why He Left Godzilla Franchise to Make A24 Thriller Onslaught
Director Adam Wingard discusses his departure from the Godzilla franchise and his new A24 action thriller Onslaught, an 80s-inspired film starring Adria Arjona.
Director Adam Wingard is trading titans for trailer parks. After spending years at the helm of blockbuster Godzilla movies, Wingard has pivoted to a leaner, meaner project with Onslaught, a new A24 action thriller that hits theaters this Friday. In an exclusive interview, the filmmaker explained what drew him away from the massive monster franchise and toward a more intimate, high-octane story.
Onslaught stars Adria Arjona as a combat veteran who must rescue her daughter, played by Blake Kennedy, when their trailer park comes under attack by a trio of government-enhanced super soldiers. Wingard describes the film as an 80s-inspired action thriller, a deliberate throwback to the golden age of Cannon Films mayhem. The project represents a significant tonal shift from the scale and spectacle of his recent work on the Godzilla series, allowing him to focus on practical effects, character-driven stakes, and a more visceral style of filmmaking.
Wingard opened up about the creative motivations behind the switch, noting that his time in the studio system was both formative and exhausting. He characterized the years spent on massive franchise pictures as a period of intense labor within a highly structured environment. The move to Onslaught, by contrast, offered an opportunity to strip filmmaking back to its essentials and embrace a more direct, unfiltered approach to genre cinema. The director suggested that the new film allowed him to explore themes and aesthetics that simply would not fit within the confines of a giant monster movie.
The film’s antagonists, described as government-enhanced super soldiers, also carry a pointed visual resonance. Wingard acknowledged that the look of the bad guys was intentional, drawing a parallel to modern immigration enforcement agents. This choice injects a layer of contemporary social commentary into what is otherwise a straightforward, adrenaline-fueled narrative. The director’s willingness to blend pulpy action with real-world visual cues marks Onslaught as a distinct entry in his filmography, one that feels both nostalgic and timely.
For Wingard, the project appears to be a deliberate reset. After navigating the demands of a beloved global franchise, he has returned to a format that prioritizes speed, efficiency, and raw energy. With A24 distributing, Onslaught is positioned as a genre piece with independent credibility, appealing to audiences who appreciate both high-concept action and auteur-driven storytelling. The film’s release marks a new chapter for the director, one that promises a different kind of spectacle rooted in practical chaos rather than digital grandeur.
