Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are gearing up to launch a new “Godzilla” picture, but everything’s been quiet in regards to development, despite a 2012 release date already planned. Quiet no more! Gareth Edwards, the talented helmer of “Monsters” is now the new man for the job, entrusted with bringing the Toho titan back to the big screen.
Edwards, gaining end-of-year praise for his canny low budget “Monsters,” is expected to punch up the script from David Callaham, which is encouraging, considering Callaham’s contributions to cinema (“The Expendables” and “Doom” cowriter) have been negligible at best. This will be the first American Godzilla picture in twelve years when it is released, with Roland Emmerich‘s embarrassing 1998 version ranking one of the biggest franchise flops of all-time. While Toho was so upset with that incarnation of the character that they had him annihilated onscreen in “Godzilla: Final Wars,” they have kept to their word regarding that film being Godzilla’s swan song in his native tongue.
Edwards, a special effects wizard, is likely being picked for his notable skills in several arenas, as he showcased an intimate character drama in “Monsters” while still creating memorable creature effects that dazzled when compared to their $100 million counterparts (while Edwards disputes the budgetary numbers being thrown around, “Monsters” did indeed come in at under a cool million). Whether this gives us any insight into what kind of movie this will be remains a mystery, as studios have become much more possessive about their potential franchises, but Edwards remains a fine choice (if a bit obvious – he made a movie called “Monsters”). This sidelines his planned collaboration with Timur Bekmambetov, described as “an epic human story, set in a futuristic world without humanity,” but we’re with Edwards here: you just don’t say no to Godzilla. [Variety]
“Monsters” was a case where the “making of” the film was more interesting than the film itself (i.e. the fact that is was made with a micro-budget and yet it looked like a multimillion blockbuster.
Not a bad film, but not one that will get repeated viewings…at least not for me.
Still, well done Gareth Edwards to coming up with something that looks like a multi-million blockbuster, and yet made with a tiny budget.
My reviews:
http://wp.me/p19wJ2-b
As far as Godzilla, I was hoping Gareth would have been more imaginative and braver than this.
If he\’s not careful he might end up being labelled as \”the guy who can only do monsters\”
Did you say \’punch up the script\’???
Coughs, spits toast.
Did you actually see monsters? A sleeping pill in film disguise, with someof the lamest \’writing\’ I\’ve seen on screen for years.
The film will feature Matthew Broderick\’s cameraman character on a contemplative journey for 2 hours. During the final minutes, Godzilla will graze peacefully through the background. END.
This article is retarded. This film will be even more retarded. I\’m disappointed both in the writing abilities of Gabe Toro and the American people who will let this film go on as planned. Shame on all of you. Shame.