The King of the Monsters will return, but not for four more years.

Variety reports director Gareth Edwards' sequel to Godzilla has landed a release date from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures: June 8, 2018.

Four years is a longer wait than many fans hoped for, but it's not necessarily a surprise, either. Edwards has been hired to direct one of Disney and Lucasfilm's Star Wars spinoffs, due in theaters on Dec. 16, 2016. There's simply no way he could get a Godzilla movie in theaters sooner than 2018, with Star Wars already on his plate.

On the bright side, it certainly sounds like big things are in store for Godzilla 2. Classic monsters like Rodan, Mothra and Ghidorah are all expected for the sequel, as teased by Legendary CEO Thomas Tull at Comic-Con International.

Furthermore, Legendary will bring more monsters to the big-screen even sooner than Godzilla 2, thanks to Skull Island, the King Kong prequel announced at Comic-Con. Joe Cornish is rumored to direct, but that hasn't been confirmed.