Monday, May 3, 2010

Godzilla (And Friends) In The News 05/03/10

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Sources: Todd Tennant / Japan Times

Over the past couple of weeks, Godzilla related news has been very, very, scarce, so I am ecstatic this morning to have two items from the Japanese monster genre to pass along.

Remember back in the end of March, when Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros announced their new Godzilla movie and they said that a director would be named, 'soon' ?

Well, that was over a month ago, and we are still waiting.

So, no new news on that front, but as I have been for the past 30-plus days, I'm expecting that news........uh..........any day now.

New Godzilla 94 Art From Todd Tennant!

Todd just sent me one of his latest design sketches for "Big G" from his "Godzilla 1994" online graphic novel, based on Tristar's unused script by Rossio and Elliott.

If you recall, in a prior article, I mentioned that Blue Water Comics was actively pursuing the rights, from Toho in Japan, to publish Todd's "G94" comic. I'm sorry to say that there isn't anything new to report on that front, but things are still ongoing behind-the-scenes, so any day now there could be a break.

Stay tuned!

Japan Times Interviews "Mothra 2" & "Ultraman Max" Star Hikari Mitsushima

I was lucky enough to stumble upon this great interview of Hikari Mitsushima (Rebirth of Mothra II/Ultraman Max/Death Note) on the Japan Times Website.

The piece Chronicles how the actress went from a 'child-actor' and 'pop-star' to one of the most sought-after talents in Japan today.

Excerpt: ....Mitsushima's made her first screen appearance at age 11, after being selected through auditions for a role in the monster flic "Mosura 2: Kaitei no Daikessen,"("Rebirth of Mothra II").

However, she had to wait until 2005 to embark on a real acting career. It was then, after about eight years of trying, that she finally got a role in the children's TV drama "Ultraman Max," in which she played an android named Elly. She went on to appear in other TV dramas, on stage in theater and in movies — including a supporting role in Shusuke Kaneko's "Death Note" in 2007.

Read More

See Also: Godzilla In The News 04/21/10 - Big G Influences Fashion And Music, Plus The Top 5 G Films According To CNN / Godzilla In The News 04/19/10 - Obama Worried Jolly Green Giant/Godzilla Conflict Could Destabilize Region / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/15/10 - The Angry Edition! / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/12/10 / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/08/10 / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/04/10 - Happy Easter! / Godzilla 2012 In The News 04/01/10 / Godzilla 2012 In The News 03/31/10

1 comment:

  1. Admittedly, the wait for news on the the specifics of the new Godzilla movie hasn't been quite as long or painful as the wait for an announcement that one was being made, but I too am getting a bit impatient for some tidbits. Surely Legendary's execs didn't greenlight this project without at least some idea who would be penning the script or manning the director's chair? My feeling is that Zack Snyder is probably the front-runner to helm. He's delivered two bang-up, fan-pleasing comic book adapations for the company (300 & WATCHMEN), and directed the successful and largely well-received remake of George A. Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD (and if you want to talk about fans that are hard to please, you need look no farther than the Romero/zombie faithful!). I don't know how Snyder feels about Godzilla, or if he has too much on his plate at the moment, but I think he'd do a fine job if asked. I wouldn't rule out CLASH OF THE TITANS helmer Louis Leterrier, either. His retelling of the Perseus legend may have fans divided (presonally, I enjoyed it), but it made bank... as did his 2008 reboot of the Hulk francihse, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, and the first two TRANSPORTER movies. And unlike Snyder, Leterrier has nothing major announced for the next two years.

    ReplyDelete

"LEGENDARY PICTURES TO DEVELOP AND PRODUCE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE BASED ON TOHO COMPANY’S ICONIC MONSTER, GODZILLA

Burbank, CA – March 29, 2010 – Legendary Pictures announced today that they will develop and produce a new film based on Toho Company’s famed GODZILLA character. Through the terms of the agreement, Legendary Pictures has acquired the rights to produce a movie inspired by Toho’s Godzilla, a franchise the Japanese company created and has nurtured for over fifty years.

Toho’s GODZILLA franchise boasts one of the most widely recognized film creatures worldwide, resulting in a series of books, television programs, video games and more than 25 films worldwide. Legendary intends to approach the film and its characters in the most authentic manner possible. The company will, in the near future, announce a filmmaker to helm the film for an intended 2012 release. The film will fall under the company’s co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros. Toho will distribute the film in Japan."

"Godzilla" is coming back -- this time, with Legendary Pictures taking the lead, co-producing and co-financing with Warner Bros. for release in 2012.

Legendary announced Monday it had obtained rights to the iconic monster character from Japan's Toho Co., which has overseen more than 25 "Godzilla" films. Toho will release the pic in Japan.

Legendary said it's planning to announce a director shortly.

In addition to Legendary, producers on the new film will be Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Brian Rogers. Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira and Doug Davison will exec produce.

"Godzilla is one of the world's most powerful pop culture icons, and we at Legendary are thrilled to be able to create a modern epic based on this long-loved Toho franchise," said Thomas Tull, Chairman and CEO of Legendary. "Our plans are to produce the Godzilla that we, as fans, would want to see. We intend to do justice to those essential elements that have allowed this character to remain as pop-culturally relevant for as long as it has."

Legendary noted the film will fall under its co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros. Legendary's productions with Warners have included "The Dark Knight," "300" and "The Hangover."

Speculation about a new "Godzilla" has been active since last summer. The Bloody Disgusting web site reported in August that the project was in development.