Thursday, January 10, 2013

Lawsuit Filed In Legendary Pictures Godzilla Dispute


Looks like the Legendary Pictures Godzilla production is hitting some "speed bumps" as a lawsuit has been filed against three producers who were removed from the project.

According to Paste Magazine.com:
Early this week, reports streamed in that Legendary Pictures, the production company behind the proposed reboot, were in dispute with the film’s Warner Bros.-based producers Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Doug Davison.  
According to a report in The Hollywood Reporter, this dispute appears to now have escalated into a full-out legal battle. Legendary looks to have fired the first bullet, filing an official complaint yesterday in the Los Angeles Superior Court. The complaint alleges that Lin, Lee and Davison threatened to sue Legendary for their impending firing, despite the fact that this option was within the company’s rights.
To read the full story, go here.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Staff Changes To Legendary's Godzilla Project

Above, the Godzilla statue at Toho Studios.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.
Some staff changes have been made on the Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. Godzilla project.

According to Slashfilm.com:
Now, two of the film’s major producers – Dan Lin and Roy Lee — have left the project. In addition, Oscar-nominated writer/director Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Walking Dead) has been brought on to do a final rewrite.
The movie is set to begin filming in March.

 To read more, 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.