Here’s some news that had to be double-checked several times — because everyone thought this was an April Fools joke. Yes, a new Toho Godzilla film is on the way, which is news enough on its own right. But here’s the kicker: Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno will be writing the script for it. Not only that, but live-action Attack on Titan director Shinji Higuchi will supervise the special effects. Together, the two will co-direct the film. This isn’t actually that surprising, as Anno has been making moves towards live-action for a long time, and Higuchi did SFX for several Gamera films in the 90s. No fooling! Read more…
Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla may have gotten some mixed-to-positive reception earlier this year, but it still doesn’t count as a “true” Godzilla film. Toho, the original Japanese producers, haven’t made a new movie since their 2004 send-off Godzilla: Final Wars. But twelve years later, in 2016, the hiatus will end and Toho will release a new Godzilla film. A story and cast will be announced later, while production will start in Summer 2015. This seems to be a full reboot, so it likely won’t have any ties to the previous Millennium Era films. Toho claims that Japan’s film industry can now achieve Hollywood-style effects without spending Hollywood-level money. Hopefully that means they’re still planning to use plenty of practical effects, and hopefully use people in suits instead of CG monsters.
When will you be able to get some more Godzilla goodness? Well, I’ve got the exact date for you: June 8th, 2018. No news on which classic monster Godzilla will get to wreck this time around, but they have plenty of time to choose one or more. Why all the way in 2018? Well, as you might recall, Godzilla director Gareth Edwards got snatched up to do a little indie film spinoff called Star Wars… So he’ll be finishing that up first. And in case you’re wondering, no, there are no new details on any of the Star Wars spinoff films either. Still, I’m glad Gareth Edwards is getting to play around in some awesome worlds, both on Earth and far, far away. Read more…
Legendary Pictures confirmed at Comic-con that yes: Godzilla is back with Gareth Edwards directing. And for the sequel, he’ll be bringing some friends as well. The studio explicitly mentioned King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan on their Twitter account, although they didn’t specify if they’d all feature in the next film or be spread out over later sequels. They also teased several other monster from Toho may arrive in other “franchise installments” as well. Legendary also revealed (in partnership with Universal) a new King Kong film, Skull Island, which is set for November 4th 2016, and will focus on the titular island. Hey guys, now that you have that link, can we get a Godzilla vs. King Kong movie? Oh, and Pacific Rim is under your umbrella too, so toss some more kaiju and a Jaeger in there too. Thank me later. Read more…
Despite mixed reactions, the new Godzilla film did extremely well at the box office, earning $93 million domestically and $103 million internationally in its opening weekend. That’s crazy money, and the makers would be crazy to not want to make that again. So it comes with little surprise that Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures are already developing a sequel to Godzilla. Though Legendary Pictures has a new deal with Universal, this sequel will still be made with Warner Brothers. Director Gareth Edwards hasn’t been confirmed to direct the sequel yet, but given both the film’s performance and Edwards’ past musings on what he’d do with a sequel, it’s highly likely that he’ll return. So the question is whether this film will follow the first and practice restraint, or whether Edwards might look to the monster-filled Destroy All Monsters for inspiration, as he has also considered. Either way, I know a lot of people might enjoy seeing Mothra on the big screen again. Read more…
There’s always some cheese going on in a giant monster movie. I mean, come on, your monster defies physics! But it looks like this latest TV spot for Godzilla is playing up the emotion and drama side of the film rather than Godzilla himself. They’re definitely aiming for different demographics here, but maybe that “It’s not like it’s the end of the world” line is a little too on the nose… Actually, wait, maybe this is that “cheese” factor I was talking about! Or maybe I’m just over-thinking it. Anyway, check out the TV spot below the break. Read more…
Movie trailers have a tendency to have lots of rapid-fire quick cuts, because they don’t want to spoil everything. However, this often makes it really hard to tell what’s going on, and can be incredibly disorienting. This extended look trailer for Godzilla still has plenty of fast cuts, but they do slow it down a bit for some lengthier clips. The end also features the best in-motion shot we’ve seen of Godzilla so far. I’m really glad that the movie looks so good, as I’ve been itching for a big-budget monster movie for a while now. And nothing tops Godzilla! Read more…
Gareth Edwards, the director of the upcoming Godzilla film, took a little time to walk fans through the most recent trailer, explaining all the little details contained within it. In case you missed any hidden shots, he explains their reasoning behind shots and also some of their experiences during filming. I liked that he mentioned how they created the classic Godzilla roar at the end. Perhaps it’s worth watching just to get a slower look at some shots where Godzilla creeps in. Also included below the jump, the recent Godzilla Snickers commercial. Why? I don’t know, seeing Godzilla water skiing was pretty funny to me. Read more…
The first Godzilla trailer was impressive enough, but this second one really sold me on the film. This one’s less about the dramatic reveal of just how freaking big this monster is and more about the various human characters. I’m not sure exactly how many of the previous Godzilla films are being considered “canon,” especially the previous American 1998 film that everyone hates, but from a reference to nuclear tests in 1954, apparently at least some of the original 1954 film happened in this new film’s history. But whatever, there’s a ridiculously big lizard and he’s going to mess things up. And judging from the references to nature being greater than man, it seems like the new film might capture some of the original film’s underlying message. Read more…
You know, when you have something good, sometimes it’s okay to just keep doing it. The first poster for the upcoming Godzilla film featured the paratroopers and their red smoke trails as they dove down towards the iconic beast… and so did the trailer. And so does the second poster! It’s just such a cool bit of imagery that I’m totally fine with them using it everywhere. Now you’ve just got to make the actual scene in the film live up to everyone’s expectations, don’t you? This new poster is one I’d totally be willing to hang up in my place. Check out the full image below. Read more…
I don’t even know what to say here, guys. ET Canada went to visit the set of the upcoming Gozilla film, and they took some time to quick interview Bryan Cranston about his role in the film. He seems to be a huge fan of the character, saying ever since he was a kid he loved Godzilla. Then he proceeds to break out his best Godzilla roar and encourages the reporter to join in with him. Now that’s how you make an interview interesting, eh? They also talk to Sally Hawkins for a bit, then grab a little footage of the sets and destruction they’ve made for the movie. Nothing else super new, but seeing Cranston yell made my day. Read more…
I always thought Godzilla was big, but going by the posters for Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla reboot, he’s gotten an even bigger makeover. The teaser sells it even more, and suddenly I’m very interested in the movie. Obviously the giant lizard is all CG, but at least going by this trailer, it’s only possible to catch glimpses of it. Godzilla is shrouded in clouds, mist, and dust for the most part. I have no doubt that the movie will probably show the whole model at some point, but if they’re wise, they’ll go the Cloverfield route and avoid direct shots of it for most of the movie, not only to avoid showing too much of the CG, but also to build the mysterious force-of-nature elements of the monster. But admittedly, I’ve never seen a Godzilla film. All I’d want out of a Godzilla reboot is that Blue Oyster Cult’s “Godzilla” loudly plays every time Godzilla appears. Meanwhile, the actors and actresses have to shout over the song, and they’re frankly more annoyed at how loud it is than whatever Godzilla is up to. This is all played straight, and this is why I wouldn’t be allowed to produce any Godzilla movies. Read more…
One of the major influences on Pacific Rim is that Japanese concept of giant monsters coming from the ocean to attack the city, something exemplified in Godzilla and later riffed on in media such as Neon Genesis Evangelion. How fitting is it then to see someone cut a Pacific Rim trailer in the vein of old Toho kaiju film trailers? The trailer even includes some of Godzilla’s classic score, which fits really well. If the effects were worse and the colors a bit more washed out, this would be spot-on, but it still works wonderfully as it is. What is it that makes big Japanese text tossed on top of images of monsters so cool? Read more…
There was news from Comic-Con that Legendary Pictures, the studio behind films like 300 and The Dark Knight, had secured the rights to make a new Godzilla film. They even released a totally awesome piece of concept art for the Big G’s new look, shown above. We haven’t heard any new news since then, though — at least, until now! Variety reports that Gareth Edwards, who directed the successful indie monster flick Monsters, is slated to direct the lizard’s latest outing. Hey, it can’t be any worse than the 90s Godzilla movie we got in the US. Right? Read more…
Frankly it’s not an authentic Godzilla film unless you have a maser cannon! Although the cannons have a mixed track record at best as sometimes they stop the giant monster in question — however sometimes those who operate the maser cannons wind up as stomping victims. This beautifully created Maser Cannon reproduction is from the Sci-Fi Revoltech series which is by Kaiyodo: Read more…
Moguera (モゲラ) made his debut in The Mysterians which was released in 1957 — in the film he’s a mole robot used by the Mysterians to attack humanity with his drills. Revoltech is celebrating this magnificent mole mecha creature in their Sci-Fi Revoltech Series, and he’s available for pre-order now and will then be shipping in September. Read more…
Twitch recently posted this photo of a supposed Godzilla prototype from the upcoming American remake, and it’s been floating around the net for the last week. Unfortunately, popular horror site Bloody Disgusting managed to confirm that the model in question is not from the upcoming Legendary Pictures remake after all — a shame, considering how fantastic the model actually is. I’m not really sure what to expect from the upcoming remake, as the production staff behind the film are also responsible for the travesty that was Terminator: Salvation, but I do hope that they’ll give the franchise the treatment it deserves. After all, the last thing we need is another Emmerich-esque bomb. Read more…
In 1995 the Gamera franchise was robooted with the film Gamera: Guardian of the Universe. Our titanic turtle friend made his first appearance in November of 1965 in the film Daikaijū Gamera in which he awakes due to an atomic bomb explosion during a cold war tango between the Americans and Soviets. So of course our turtle friend the decided to go on a rampage of Tokyo — which has endeared him to generations of Japanese ever since! Shown above is the Tokusatsu Revoltech 006 Gamera and below is the Tokusatsu Revoltech 007 Gyaos who like to fight each other and wreck havoc in densely populated urban locals. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 9, 2010 in Japanese TV
This Godzilla themed canned coffee advert perfectly captures my inner crankiness when I can’t get my daily caffeine fix. The commercial is for Kirin Black Deep Body Fire which features a “51% blend of carefully selected premium bean” from Guatemala. Although the two main selling points are that this coffee is both sugar free (and thus low calorie) and apparently tastes quite bitter. Read more…
Fanboys love their toys! And 2009 has been a great year for collectors of both high and low art, so we’ve put together our favorites from this year with an eye on unique twists on old themes. For example shown above O-No! Sushi by Andrew Bell is an urban toy reaction from a vegetarian to sushi. Read more…
Is he an evil mechanical doppelgänger or just misunderstood? Since 1974 poor Mechagodzilla (メカゴジラ) has always been played up as the nemesis of Godzilla — but I like to think of him as more of a beloved sparring partner. And now you can show your love for this mechanical maestro with your very own Godzilla MechaGodzilla Plush which features a soft surface instead of the usual space titanium.
This latest Narikiri Hello Kitty Collection 3 features our favorite cat cosplaying as both Godzilla AND the evil three headed monster King Ghidorah! Each kitty figurine attaches to a keychain to conveniently scare your friends while opening doors (that or charming them with your cute accessories). Read more…
