We now have a timetable on when Godzilla will return to wreak havoc in theaters. Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have announced a release date of May 16th, 2014 for the monster flick.
Directed by Gareth Edwards, whose sci-fi indie Monsters proved to be the perfect stepping stone to this project, Legendary says this new Godzilla “will return the character to its epic roots with a gritty, realistic actioner.”
The fact that Godzilla needs to be a return to form in the first place is of course an indictment on Roland Emmerich’s 1998 re-imagining starring Matthew Broderick.
Based on the retro-style Japanese-inspired teaser poster and the strong buzz that developed when some of Edwards’ test footage played at Comic-Con, there’s reason to believe this could be the start of a new era of Godzilla. The script comes from Max Borenstein, David Callaham (The Expendables) and David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight Trilogy).
The summer release also suggests a degree of confidence in the film, even if it’s early. Paramount’s Ninja Turtles is scheduled for that same date, but that film has been dealing with a number of production woes including the original series’ creators bashing the script on the Internet.
While Warner Bros. can be confident that Turtles will likely budge, however, it can be assured that Godzilla will have to contend with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes the following Memorial Day weekend.
As always, we’ll keep you posted on more updates on Godzilla as they surface.
