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Before Kaylee Hottle died in a car crash July 21, the Godzilla vs. Kong actress had signed on to star in a movie that follows a group of friends with disabilities who aspire to become superheroes.
‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Actress Kaylee Hottle's Official Cause of Death Revealed
Kaylee Hottle was ready to grace the big screen once more.
Two days after the Godzilla vs. Kong actress died in a car accident in Maryland, screenwriter Andy Mingo shared that the teen had been preparing to star in his upcoming superhero film.
"We were truly looking forward to getting to work with someone so talented,” Mingo told TMZ in a July 23 statement, “and are heartbroken by her death."
Hottle had signed on in 2024 to appear in What Doesn’t Kill Us, a movie that will focus on a group of friends with disabilities who dream of becoming superheroes by using their disabilities to their advantage.
For her part, Hottle’s character was written as a deaf person whose other senses, like pattern recognition, are heightened, according to the writers.
Mingo’s co-writer Anna Campbell reflected on how Hottle—a deaf actress—was making a difference in Hollywood.
"Kaylee was the kind of person who has been so spectacular and has made such an important impact on the industry,” she shared. “She didn't let her disability stop her and that’s exactly what we hope to perpetuate with a film like this. This is a great loss and we are devastated."
Following her death, Mingo believes that Elliot Woolrich and Lucas Woolrich, who crafted the story behind the movie, will keep Hottle’s character in the script "out of respect and keep her spirit in the film."
Stewart Cook/Getty Images for Warner Bros.
After starring in 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong alongside Millie Bobbie Brown, Alexander Skarsgård and Brian Tyree Henry, as well as the film’s sequel 2024 sequel Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, Hottle reflected on the optimism she had about deaf representation on the big screen.
“I see a lot of positive things,” she told Houston’s Chron in 2024. “There's not a lot of deaf roles or opportunities out there. And so now we're able, [and] I’m able to get them, and I think I've seen more and more growth and positivity.”
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