Could Hollywood make a tribute Godzilla film in the style of the Showa era?

[Jeff-Goldblum2]

What I mean is if they made a modern movie but recreated sets and monster suits that replicate the exact look of the Showa era films.

Also recreating things down to acting style and storylines that were present.

All for the purpose of homage.

I think the closest example I have of something being done like this is The Brady Bunch Movie from the 90's or the Star Trek Tribbles episode in Deep Space Nine.

[UltramanGoji]

This is gonna sound super gatekeepy but since the franchise isn’t American, I don’t see any western filmmaker being capable of it, nor do I think they should attempt it. This is an idea that works better as a product of a Japanese production.

[LSD Jellyfish]

This is gonna sound super gatekeepy but since the franchise isn’t American, I don’t see any western filmmaker being capable of it, nor do I think they should attempt it. This is an idea that works better as a product of a Japanese production.

Yeah pretty much.

Also, we are essentially getting a remake of GTTHM/DAM in the form of KOTM, so we already have our big budget Showa film.

Star Trek, and DS9 are different because they’re both American productions, and the episode wasn’t made until it was shown that DS9 was pretty much on equal footing (quality wise) with TOS.

One thing I do appreciate about Toho though is that for the most part they haven’t felt the need to purely dwell in showa nostalgia.

[GojiDog]

If you let me make a movie and give me full creative control with no restrictions, I would want to make either a throwback 30s/40s Universal Monster movie in black and white, or my own suitmation kaiju Tokusatsu film.

However, Hollywood would never fund either project because who the hell outside of nerds is going to see that in 2019?

[edgaguirus]

I think it could be done if the right people were involved. However, the chances of that aren't great.

[Rhedosaurus]

Didn't we kind of get one via Godzilla vs. Megagurius?

[G2000]

What I mean is if they made a modern movie but recreated sets and monster suits that replicate the exact look of the Showa era films.

Also recreating things down to acting style and storylines that were present.

All for the purpose of homage.

The old Godzilla: Reborn script (a proposed US-made sequel to Godzilla 2000 that would have seen Joe Dante directing with Toho handling SFX) and Quentin Tarantino's "Living Under the Rule of Godzilla" concept both had/have shades of this.

[LockBite]

I don’t think nationality is so much an issue as just what Hollywood would do wrong approaching the film. They would do this tongue-in-cheek, bad-on-purpose routine that completely misses the earnestness of even the campiest Showa films (which were merely trying to entertain young children). We saw glimpses of this mistake in Godzilla: Final Wars.

[UltramanGoji]

I don’t think nationality is so much an issue as just what Hollywood would do wrong approaching the film. They would do this tongue-in-cheek, bad-on-purpose routine that completely misses the earnestness of even the campiest Showa films (which were merely trying to entertain young children).

That's...exactly why I said a Hollywood director wouldn't be able to do it.

[LockBite]

This is gonna sound super gatekeepy but since the franchise isn’t American, I don’t see any western filmmaker being capable of it, nor do I think they should attempt it. This is an idea that works better as a product of a Japanese production.

It’s not exactly obvious that this was pointing to Hollywood rather than nationality, not that I’m offended by it

[MaxRebo320]

Unless the director were a huge fan with genuine love/admiration for the series (And more than just thinking the monsters are cool), definitely not. As others have pointed out, it'd most likely fall under that "intentionally bad" subgenre of horror/sci-fi we've gotten so much of (Where the people behind it aren't talented enough to come up with something unique), with crap like poor, inarticulate suits, visible wires on everything, bad dubbing jokes, a kid named "Kenny" wearing short shorts, etc. No thanks.

[Mr_Goji_and_Watch]

Yeah I don't see anyone making a film based on how the films actually are and more so on their perception that they got from being lumped in with America's productions and their schlocky marketing.

[Jeff-Goldblum2]

I just realized The Last Dinosaur fits the bill for what I described pretty well. The T-Rex even has Godzilla's roar.

This movie is actually pretty good!

[MaxRebo320]

I just realized The Last Dinosaur fits the bill for what I described pretty well. The T-Rex even has Godzilla's roar.

This movie is actually pretty good!

Never mind that was a Japanese co-pro, with a largely Japanese crew.

[Jeff-Goldblum2]

True bud.

But it's a good visual example to explain what I mean.

[Terasawa]

Unfortunately I don't think this could ever be reality due to Hollywood's reluctance to cast 10 year old boys wearing upsettingly short shorts.

[GodzillaRangerPrime]

I could see Toho doing it

We’ve seen that they’re capable of remaking legacy suits like 1954 nearly 100% accurate with modern methods.

[Rodan95]

While I would love for that to happen, it would never happen in this day and age. Most audiences want the next big-budget Marvel movies anymore. Movies with rubber monsters fighting in miniature sets just doesn't entertain American audiences anymore.

However, if WB, Legendary, and HBOMax keep the rights to Godzilla post-2020, they totally should do "Guy in Suit" Godzilla movies or a TV Show for the HBOMax streaming service. Heck, that would get older Godzilla fans to subscribe. Toho is currently trying to make Godzilla a worldwide market afterall

[MechaGoji Bro7503]

Can someone capture the quality of the 60s is the bigger question.

[Gigantis]

Can someone capture the quality of the 60s is the bigger question.

This. Like how do you recapture such a weird cinema time period and perfectly recreate it?