Monday, July 22, 2013

NECA Gets License For "Godzilla" Tie-In Figures

by Armand Vaquer

Above, Godzilla at the 2004 Hollywood Walk of Fame.  This year's Comic Con marked Godzilla's biggest media splash in the U.S. since this event almost nine years ago.
The hoopla over Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. Godzilla during this year's Comic Con International was the biggest splash our favorite radioactive monster has made in the U.S. since his induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame (and the premiere of Godzilla Final Wars at Grauman's Chinese Theater, along with the Godzilla float in the 2004 Hollywood Christmas Parade) a few short months shy of nine years ago.

As intended, the Godzilla panel and the Godzilla Encounter (set up at a warehouse in San Diego) generated a lot of publicity for the movie, set for release a year from now.

One additional bit of news has come out of the Comic Con, it has been revealed that NECA has been granted a license to create movie tie-in figures next summer. This has been reported by Bloody Disgusting and Dread Central. NECA will be creating small scale and large scale Godzilla figures.

Looks like 2014 will be a great year for Godzilla fans!

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Legendary Pictures Pushing "Godzilla" At Comic Con

by Armand Vaquer


Legendary Pictures' Godzilla push at this year's Comic Con has generated a lot of media buzz.

The buzz continues at Forbes.com:
With the Godzilla experience and a panel at Comic-Con’s giant Hall H, the studio is giving Godzilla the full court press. Legendary is now moving from Warner Bros. to Universal where it won’t have access to the DC Comics characters that have helped make Legendary so successful. Instead, Legendary head Thomas Tull will have to work on finding new material that he can translate into huge franchises. If Godzilla is a hit it will certainly turn into a franchise and one with lucrative merchandising and spin-off potential. It could even result in a real theme park ride akin to the Godzilla experience at Comic-Con. If the film is a flop, Tull will have to keep looking for the next big thing.
The article laments the good word-of-mouth for Pacific Rim hasn't translated into more people flocking to theaters to see it. So far, it has earned $110 million at the box office. They wonder if the 2014 Godzilla will suffer in the same way.

However, there is a big difference between the two. Pacific Rim is a new concept in the U.S. (although it is more "old hat" in Japan) with flashy special effects. Godzilla, on the other hand, is an established character with a built-in fan base. If the Godzilla word-of-mouth is favorable next year, it could make the difference between failure and success.

The 1998 TriStar Godzilla did make money, but the poor reviews (deservedly so) ended up causing the movie be less successful than it could have been.

From what I've seen so far, Legendary Pictures appears to be treating the character as it should be: as a nuclear terror. TriStar treated it as a joke. From what little we've seen of the Godzilla design, it appears to be undoubtedly Godzilla (I like how the fans are saying it looks "majestic" and "massive"). TriStar's was nothing more than a mutated iguana who eats fish and lays eggs. It didn't look like Godzilla and didn't act like Godzilla. Legendary seems to be "doing it right" this time.

We have a year to go before we see how it all pans out.

To read the Forbes article, go here.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Godzilla: "Massive" and "Majestic"

by Armand Vaquer

Above, a Gira-Goji prop at the Bandai Museum in 2005.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.
Things are happening down in San Diego at the Comic Con International.

Those who were able to attend the session caught a glimpse of Godzilla. The reactions, thus far, has been "majestic," "massive," "chills," "goosebumps" and "no mutant iguanas this time."

Attendees say that the tone of the movie (from the footage they've been able to see) is much different than the 1998 Tri-Star version.

According to the Denver Post:
SAN DIEGO—Exploding airplanes, flattened trains, massive missiles and even more massive monsters greeted Comic-Con fans Saturday morning. 
The footage showed Godzilla battling another giant monster, nearly decimating an airport and sending cities into chaos.
From what I am gathering, Godzilla battles with a "giant insectioid" monster.

The indicators (for days) are that Godzilla looks like Godzilla. That alone is a major step in the right direction!

I haven't seen any photos of the Big G from the session as yet.  But the day isn't over.

To read more, go here.

Legendary's Godzilla To Be Unveiled Today

by Armand Vaquer


According to this website, principal photography for Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. Godzilla wrapped on Thursday.

Also, according to the site, the design for their Godzilla will be unveiled today (it is now Saturday) at the San Diego Comic Con. I can't vouch for the accuracy of this, but I am putting this out for you anyway. I would have attended this year's convention, but I started a new job with a new company and couldn't get the time off on short notice.

Legendary's presentation will be in Hall H between 10:45am and 1:15pm today.


Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Another "Godzilla" Poster Released

Another poster has been released by Legendary Pictures:


They seem to be doing the right things, unlike the 1998 abomination.  From what I can see here, Godzilla looks like Godzilla.

Monday, July 15, 2013

"Godzilla" Comic Con Poster

"Something very big is coming to Comic Con!" is the word from Godzilla director Gareth Edwards.

Edwards is directing Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros.' version of our favorite radioactive kaiju. They have also released the poster (below) they will be unveiling at the convention.

Monday, July 8, 2013

San Diego Comic Con Gears Up For "Godzilla"

Above, a capture of Godzilla taken at last year's Comic Con by an attendee.  
With this year's San Diego Comic Con just around the corner, news (and speculation) are hitting the Internet on the upcoming Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. Godzilla.

Dread Central has some photos of the movie's "the hot zone." To view them, go here.

Cinema Blend.com has photos of a San Diego warehouse all decorated with (it is presumed) Godzilla claw marks.  To see them, 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.