The King of Monsters is irrefutably back in vogue. After leasing the rights to Legendary Pictures and Gareth Edwards that resulted in a well-received, overly successful blockbuster, esteemed Japanese film studio Toho has announced plans to bring a new Godzilla film to audiences in 2016 that will be separate from Edwards’ universe.
Speaking during the company’s wonderfully titled Godzilla Conference, Toho’s Taiji Ueda spoke of his desire to spearhead a new film centring on the towering alpha predator.
“With the success of the Hollywood version of GODZILLA, we decided on a new [domestic] production. The screenplay is currently in development and we plan to start shooting next summer. We cannot announce cast or staff selections at this time. And we’re still deliberating whether to bring Godzilla to life via CGI or man-in-suit. This resurrection will be the centerpiece for ’16, and this is the force of our words.”
If Toho remain on course for the 2016 release, then the studio’s recently-announced take on the King of Monsters will debut a full twelve years since his last outing, Godzilla: Final Wars, arrived back in 2004. Plus, given that the Japanese studio have full control over the IP, fans can surely expect to see Gojira go up against some of his most renown foes — a criticism that was unfairly levelled at Edwards’ film, who was forced to work within his own creative parameters — including Mothra and King Ghidorah.
Still, it’s interesting that Ueda states that the creative team are still pondering whether to pursue CGI or, in keeping with other Godzilla films from the east, stay true to practical effects. Alas, Toho is a smaller studio than Legendary — financially, at least — so whatever the studio produces in 2016 will be a different beast, quite literally.
The passionate voices of the fans clamored for a resurrection [of the Japanese Godzilla]. We will bring the monster back to Japan, with the high-quality we’ve given films like [Takashi Yamazaki’s] PARASITE (Kiseiju, 2014). By bringing together our collective know-how, which we’ve been striving for [over the last 12 years], we mustn’t lose to Hollywood.
Tell us, are you excited to see a more fantastical take on Godzilla? Let us know below.
