Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The King (of the Monsters) Is In The Building!

Haruo Nakajima and his daughter Sonoe have arrived in Charlotte!

Above, Sonoe Nakajima (far left) and her father Haruo "Mr. Godzilla" Nakajima chat with convention organizer Eben McGarr.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Mad Monster Party Schedule


The Mad Monster Party convention in Charlotte, North Carolina will be held this week (March 22-24) at the Blake Hotel.

The convention's official website now has the schedule up with a map of the convention (click on image to see larger):


The panel discussion with Haruo Nakajima is set for Sunday, March 24 at 11:00 am in the Carolina Ballroom.  The discussion will be led by yours truly.


To view the schedule page, go here.

Monday, March 18, 2013

"Godzilla" Cast Set

The Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures production of Godzilla has finalized its cast and principal photography has begun.

The Fort Mill Times reported:
BURBANK, Calif. --Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today the final principal cast for the upcoming tent pole “Godzilla.” Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, and Juliette Binoche are starring in the film, with David Strathairn and Bryan Cranston. 
The companies also announced that principal photography began today on location in Vancouver.
To read more, go here.

Monday, March 11, 2013

David Strathairn Joins "Godzilla" Cast


Dread Central.com has posted latest casting news for Legendary Pictures' Godzilla:
More casting news has come in for Legendary Pictures' upcoming remake of the Toho classic Godzilla as the great David Strathairn is in talks to help fend off the ginormous fire-breathing behemoth from Japan! 
He joins the previously announced Aaron Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, and Bryan Cranston, who are also currently in talks, with Gareth Edwards attached to direct.
To read the full article, 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.