Being fans of movies, when we think of some great classic monster movies, we consider the obvious: Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolfman, but one name that has held strong on the shelf of “Great Movie Monsters” would have to go to the colossal behemouth from Japan, Godzilla.
Godzilla has been a huge name over in Japan since the 1950s, and Hollywood even tried to capitalize on it’s fame back in 1998 with a film starring Matthew Broderick, directed by Roland Emmerich. The movie was a disaster with the critics, but a major monetary success, bringing in $376 Million worldwide.
It seems that Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have recently obtained the US creative rights, which was once in the hands of Columbia/Tristar, and could start shooting soon on a brand new Godzilla movie. From THR:
“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.”
Added Jeff Robinov, president of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, “Godzilla is emblematic of the kind of branded, event films for which Warner Bros. and our partners at Legendary are best known.”
Warner and Legendary usually only team up for major blockbuster films. They’re best known for both Batman reboots, Superman Returns, The Hangover, and the upcoming Clash of the Titans reboot. No word on a director or cast just yet, but the studio is already planning for a mid 2012 release date.