Friday, January 14, 2011

Two Godzillas? Rubbish!

by Armand Vaquer


There's an article that appeared in the Pittsburgh Film Industry Examiner website alleging that there may be two Godzilla movies in 2012, one from Toho and the other from Legendary Pictures/Warner Brothers.

This article came to me last night courtesy of Google.

It was written by Fiore Mastracci and it contains so many factual errors that I was just going to ignore it and not post anything here about it. I did post the link to a couple of Godzilla fan forums and the reaction was predictable: universally panned.

The article claimed that Toho "announced" their plan to end Godzilla's "forced retirement" early (i.e., 2012). There's been no such announcement, otherwise we'd have been discussing it for months. Believe me, if there were such an announcement, fans would have been on top of it immediately.

Toho and Legendary Pictures came to an agreement on a new American Godzilla film last year (they had been in negotiations at least since 2009), so Toho wouldn't even consider undercutting the American production with a movie of their own. It doesn't make any business or logical sense.

I am pretty close to some of the Toho executives, and none have given any indication of such a planned Japanese return of the Big G. A fan posted a comment on Mastracci's article asking for the source of this. It will be interesting to see Mastracci's reply.

He even got the good and bad guys wrong in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001).

Mastracci seems to be a nice guy, but, unfortunately, his article is just erroneous.

Sorry, folks, there's nothing to see here. But if you insist, to read the article, go here.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Is There Going To Be A New "Japanese" Godzilla Movie In 2012?

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: The Examiner (Pittsburgh)

Is Toho planning to release a brand-new "Godzilla" movie in Japan at the same time that the new Legendary Pictures "Godzilla 3D" is released here in America?

Well, according to a Pittsburgh film industry reporter ........ yes, that is exactly what Toho is planning to do and actually has been planning to do for some time.

According to Fiore Mastracci of Examiner.com Toho had originally wanted to produce a new "Godzilla" movie for a 2012 release, but due to issues with the script and other aspects of the film the studio was having trouble getting things moving. When the Japanese movie company was approached by Legendary Pictures about making another "American" Godzilla movie they viewed it as a way to get the monster back into theaters without having to produce a film themselves.

Now, however, the studio may be looking to go forward with their own Godzilla movie after all.

According to the report, Toho may still be aiming for a December 2012 release date for their film, which may mean that the Japanese movie and Legendary's "Godzilla 3D" may be released within months, or weeks, of each other creating an international Godzilla vs Godzilla cinema battle.

Here is an excerpt from the original article:

Toho may scrub its planned 2012 release and attempt to satisfy fans with the new American version. This will allow them to keep to their original decade of retirement. The American version will satisfy clamoring fans and give the parent company the needed time to work out its difficulties. But, as of now, both movies could be released within months of each other, creating an on-screen battle of epic proportions.

The article also states that Toho may plan to make a new Godzilla movie, then put its release on hold to see how the American film does. If the Gareth Edwards helmed 3D "G" film does well, then Toho would release the Japanese movie, if not, then they may opt to scrap it or release it only in Japan.

Another excerpt:

No official word from Toho yet if it will still release its project in December 2012 or add the two remaining years to Godzilla’s forced retirement. Speculation is that Toho may release its new version of Godzilla, but only in Japan, allowing them to gauge reaction to Edward's treatment first and providing the opportunity to compare fan reaction and acceptance.


I want to point out that this is the first time that I have heard anything about this. Could it be that somehow with all the excitement surrounding Lengendary's "Godzilla 3D" Toho was able to slip this one under the radar?

Maybe.

Then again Maybe not. It is hard to gauge whether Fiore Mastracci may have gotten a scoop that has eluded just about everyone in the monster movie media, or that he may have simply gotten his facts wrong, confusing the ill-fated "Godzilla 3D To The Max" with a new Toho Godzilla movie.

Hopefully, this is all legit and we can all look forward to possibly two new Godzilla films in the next couple of years.

Here is the original article - Battle of Godzillas may be newest screen battle.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Reflections On The Hiring Of Gareth Edwards As The Director of Godzilla

Written By: Ken Hulsey

By now your probably aware that Legendary Pictures has hired the British film maker Gareth Edwards to helm their upcoming 3D "Godzilla" film. As the news broke on Tuesday I was caught off guard by the hire.

As I’m sure many of you out probably felt, the news was sort of a disappointment. Not to knock Edwards too much, but I had hoped for a more prominent director to take on "the king of monsters". Though, I had high hopes, things transpired much as I knew deep down in my heart as the would, Legendary Pictures would opt to go with somebody ‘trendy’ instead of somebody with a long pedigree.

Again, I really don’t want to take this time to bash on Edwards, for all we know he may indeed be the right man for the job and after all is said and done all of us "G" fans may be singing his praises for producing an excellent monster film. Only time will tell on that one.
In preparing this little piece I took some time to do some research on Edwards to gather some background info to try and put together a kind of feeling for what he may have in store for "Godzilla 2012." As many of you already know Edwards has only one major film title to his credit, "Monsters" which was released in 2010 besides that he has only two other projects under his belt, two short films, "Factory Farmed" and "Attila the Hun", both produced in 2008.

Granted, that isn’t a very long resume for someone who is about to take on the world’s most popular monster and his legions of fans around the world.

Now in regards to "Monsters" I have to admit that I haven’t seen the film, though I will undoubtedly seek it out now that Edwards has signed on for "Godzilla". I did, however, do quite a bit of searching online to see just what other "arm-chair" movie critics thought of the film. To be honest, those reviews that I happened to find were all over the place. Some critics loved it, some didn't, and yet others were on the fence. Granted, I’m certain that if I looked up reviews on just about any film I would find the same type of results. Regardless of all that Legendary Pictures must have seem something in "Monsters" that they really liked to hand a film like "Godzilla" over to Edwards.

On the plus side:

Edwards is a film maker who understands both special effects and cinematography, due to the fact that he handled both for "Monsters", and undoubtedly "Godzilla" is going to be a film heavy in both of those elements.

On the negative side:

Like with any film like this one can only hope that Edwards has a good working knowledge of the "Godzilla" movie series. If a survey of the film makers DVD library includes several Godzilla, and other giant monster genre, films then we can all rest a little easier, if not, then this good be just another crappy film in a growing list that has been churned out by Hollywood over the past decade.

Again, only time will tell.

First order of business for Edwards, find a replacement writer for the script to replace the ousted David Callaham. Then again, maybe that is why Legendary brought him on board, to write the story for the film as well? That seems like a stretch, but besides handling the directing duties, cinematography and effects for "Monsters" Edwards also wrote the darn thing.

Understandably the burning question is whether Legendary Pictures "reached" with the hire of Edwards or not? Was the director one of their fall-back choices? If you recall way back in March of last year when the studio initially announced that they were going forward with "Godzilla" they had stated that news on a director was coming shortly. Monster movie fans around the globe waited, and waited, and waited some more, but that news took almost a year. It would be safe to assume that the studio was actively pursuing a selected director, or group of directors at that time that either opted out of the running or had other projects that they had committed to.

So here we are, Legendary Pictures has locked on to Gareth Edwards to launch a new American Godzilla franchise. With any luck the film maker will soon begin to look for a creative team to aid him in making a monster film that lives up to vision that the studio talked about last year. My advice? Find out what the fan base wants to see in a new "G" film". Remember, despite what Michael Bay may think, they are your bread and butter. I know the idea is to make a Godzilla film that will appeal to the masses, but just don’t forget the core fans. It’s a razor thin line, I know, but if Abrams can make it work for "Star Trek" it can be done. Just for Gods sake do your homework on this one!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Gareth Edwards To Helm Legendary's Godzilla


Legendary's "Godzilla" now has a director, according to The Hollywood Reporter:

Godzilla has a director.

Gareth Edwards, the British filmmaker who wrote and directed indie sci-fi movie Monsters, is closing a deal to develop and direct the creature feature for Legendary Pictures, the company that co-produced blockbusters such as Inception and The Dark Knight.

Warner Bros. will co-produce, co-finance and distribute per its deal with Legendary. Legendary's Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni are producing along with Dan Lin, Roy Lee, and Brian Rogers.


To read the full story, go here.
"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.