What if Jan de Bont's Godzilla '96 was made instead?

[MechaGoji Bro7503]

I'm legitimately serious in that I would rather have the Millennium series instead.

Okay... why so? Just curious.

Because I like it And so then Shin Godzilla would've still been created. Also like what Godzillafan1990s said- Godzilla wouldn't of have a nuclear related origin in this '96 film.

[SonOfGorgo]

At least to me. Godzilla wouldn't of had the nuclear origin which is a main core of his character rather having him be this ancient bio-weapon created by an ancient civilization which just wouldn't of fit him. Godzilla just isn't Godzilla without his nuclear origin and also of what he means. Heck actually gave G98 credit for keeping the nuclear origin even if he was an irritated iguana then an ancient sea reptile/dinosaur.

Also like what Godzillafan1990s said- Godzilla wouldn't of have a nuclear related origin in this '96 film.

Maybe so, but his awakening did have something with nuclear cores; here's a direct extract from Rossio's/Elliott's Nov '93 draft:
"In a remote location somewhere on the frozen coast of Alaska, a salvage ship excavates nuclear reactor cores that were illegally dumped at sea long ago by the Soviet Union. Suddenly, something goes awry and a huge explosion destroys a ship. On the shoreline, giant snow banks mysteriously catch fire and a huge crevice opens in the ground, streaming an eerie red-black fluid."
So nuclear equipment didn't create the creature per se, but rather awakened by such, just like in the '54 original.

Here's another extract from the same draft that implies this version's comparison to nuclear weaponry, not literally but rather figuratively:
"The military considers using a small nuclear bomb to stop Godzilla, but Vaught believes it won’t work: Godzilla is a living, breathing nuclear reactor — evidence by the fact he breathes not flame, but something so hot it actually ionises oxygen."

Because I like it And so then Shin Godzilla would've still been created.

Toho would've produced those anyway, whether during or after TriStar's trilogy. Which of the Millennium film did you like best anyway?

[MechaGoji Bro7503]

Because I like it And so then Shin Godzilla would've still been created.

Toho would've produced those anyway, whether during or after TriStar's trilogy. Which of the Millennium film did you like best anyway?

Most of them, mostly the Kiryu Saga and GMK.

[SonOfGorgo]

Most of them, mostly the Kiryu Saga and GMK.

Okay.

But as I said before...

[LegendZilla]

Okay, so if Toho's plan was to immediately make Godzilla films of their own regardless of how Tristar's efforts turn out, that raises a new question : Would've we gotten the same millennium films?

[GodzillaFan1990's]

I understand what you mean. But to me at least, this approach does seem to justify the whole "turning hero" angle. Even Gamera had something similar with the Heisei trilogy, and yet noone batted an eye over that.

Well Gamera for one is less popular then Godzilla, so that's why they probably didn't care and people as a whole likely likes Heisei Gamera more due to being more serious and dark then the Showa series.

Maybe so, but his awakening did have something with nuclear cores; here's a direct extract from Rossio's/Elliott's Nov '93 draft:
"In a remote location somewhere on the frozen coast of Alaska, a salvage ship excavates nuclear reactor cores that were illegally dumped at sea long ago by the Soviet Union. Suddenly, something goes awry and a huge explosion destroys a ship. On the shoreline, giant snow banks mysteriously catch fire and a huge crevice opens in the ground, streaming an eerie red-black fluid."
So nuclear equipment didn't create the creature per se, but rather awakened by such, just like in the '54 original.

Here's another extract from the same draft that implies this version's comparison to nuclear weaponry, not literally but rather figuratively:
"The military considers using a small nuclear bomb to stop Godzilla, but Vaught believes it won’t work: Godzilla is a living, breathing nuclear reactor — evidence by the fact he breathes not flame, but something so hot it actually ionises oxygen."

Well then, guess my opinion is changed, now I wished this movie was made...Then again guess we wouldn't have gotten Legendary Godzilla then whom is my favorite Godzilla incarnation.

[tbeasley]

Okay, so if Toho's plan was to immediately make Godzilla films of their own regardless of how Tristar's efforts turn out, that raises a new question : Would've we gotten the same millennium films?

No. They would've been produced in totally different circumstances. I mean, can you imagine if the TriStar film was a success? On top of possible films companies like Trendmasters, Dark Horse and Random House might've kept their licenses to the character. Criterion was close to releasing the films in Classic Media's catalogue (at least we got the original out of them).

[GalacticPetey]

Criterion was close to releasing the films in Classic Media's catalogue (at least we got the original out of them).

Oh how I wish Criterion would release the Classic Media titles on Blu-Ray. High quality prints with tons of extras? Yes please.

[LegendZilla]

Criterion was close to releasing the films in Classic Media's catalogue (at least we got the original out of them).

Oh how I wish Criterion would release the Classic Media titles on Blu-Ray. High quality prints with tons of extras? Yes please.

What made Criterion want to ditch doing it? Were they high or something?

[GalacticPetey]

There's not much of a market for a bunch of niche kaiju films from the 60s and 70s. It's easier to justify releasing the original film due to its historic and artistic value.

[LegendZilla]

There's not much of a market for a bunch of niche kaiju films from the 60s and 70s. It's easier to justify releasing the original film due to its historic and artistic value.

That's a petty excuse.

[Bigdog]

Here's my suggestion for how things would play out (roughly mind you) in the long run had the Debont Godzilla became a reality in the place of the Emmerich version. Pardon me if I had stated this before, but I think had it been a success both finically and critically, then we just might have seen a wave of giant monster films from Hollywood for the remainder of the 90's up into the early 2000's. Because of this, the current cycle of Superhero films that we have been enduring through the entirety of the 21st century so far would've faced fierce competition, at least in its early years.

Meanwhile, after Tristar (presumably) done a successful trilogy of Godzilla films, Toho resumes making their own Godzilla films in 2004 in which they were inspired by Hollywood's attempts to create a full CGI Godzilla rather than having GINO to turn almost everyone one off and resort back to traditional suitmation as in our timeline. This cycle of Godzilla films from Toho begins with a Shusuke Keneko-directed film in 2004, similar to GMK, only a solo film alas G'54, '84 and Shin. For the next 10 years, Kaneko as well as Takeshi Miike become the primary directors for the franchise until it is once again put on hiatus in 2014 and remains so until this day.

How is this for a prediction as to how things could've played out?

I feel that Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers would've gotten the Hollywood treatment a decade sooner, perhaps being Michael Bay's film instead of Transformers in order to capitalize on the giant monster genre. Or perhaps Jerry Bruckheimer would've directed it. Either way the movie for it's 15th anniversary would've been a show stopper. Given the success of the Power Rangers, a Sabanverse competes with the MCU, with Masked Rider, VR Troopers [heavily reworked] and Beetleborgs among others being adapted. Shia Labeouf would be Jason and Megan Fox is Kimberly, and just fill in the rest. Ultraman is also remade as a film.Despite the Power Rangers being under the same roof as Marvel, we perhaps see a reboot with them in the MCU, unless it joins it as some point. Because of this, they hold off on going for Spiderman because they already got a team of teenage heroes. If not, then Civil War is almost as big as the comic version, save that many of its heroes are from Saban properties.

Lost Galaxy or In Space crosses over with Guardians of the Galaxy.

Conversely, someone directs Transformers in 2017 and it bombs with emo protagonists, or it's successful critically and financially from someone else.

[LegendZilla]

I feel that Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers would've gotten the Hollywood treatment a decade sooner, perhaps being Michael Bay's film instead of Transformers in order to capitalize on the giant monster genre. Or perhaps Jerry Bruckheimer would've directed it. Either way the movie for it's 15th anniversary would've been a show stopper. Given the success of the Power Rangers, a Sabanverse competes with the MCU, with Masked Rider, VR Troopers [heavily reworked] and Beetleborgs among others being adapted. Shia Labeouf would be Jason and Megan Fox is Kimberly, and just fill in the rest. Ultraman is also remade as a film.Despite the Power Rangers being under the same roof as Marvel, we perhaps see a reboot with them in the MCU, unless it joins it as some point. Because of this, they hold off on going for Spiderman because they already got a team of teenage heroes. If not, then Civil War is almost as big as the comic version, save that many of its heroes are from Saban properties.

Lost Galaxy or In Space crosses over with Guardians of the Galaxy.

Conversely, someone directs Transformers in 2017 and it bombs with emo protagonists, or it's successful critically and financially from someone else.

You are assuming that Power Rangers would've had a crossover(s) with Marvel just because Disney temporarily owned Saban at one point? Not so sure about that since just because Disney also owns Star Wars, we still have yet to see a Marvel/Star Wars crossover (and likely never will).

[Bigdog]

I feel that Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers would've gotten the Hollywood treatment a decade sooner, perhaps being Michael Bay's film instead of Transformers in order to capitalize on the giant monster genre. Or perhaps Jerry Bruckheimer would've directed it. Either way the movie for it's 15th anniversary would've been a show stopper. Given the success of the Power Rangers, a Sabanverse competes with the MCU, with Masked Rider, VR Troopers [heavily reworked] and Beetleborgs among others being adapted. Shia Labeouf would be Jason and Megan Fox is Kimberly, and just fill in the rest. Ultraman is also remade as a film.Despite the Power Rangers being under the same roof as Marvel, we perhaps see a reboot with them in the MCU, unless it joins it as some point. Because of this, they hold off on going for Spiderman because they already got a team of teenage heroes. If not, then Civil War is almost as big as the comic version, save that many of its heroes are from Saban properties.

Lost Galaxy or In Space crosses over with Guardians of the Galaxy.

Conversely, someone directs Transformers in 2017 and it bombs with emo protagonists, or it's successful critically and financially from someone else.

You are assuming that Power Rangers would've had a crossover(s) with Marvel just because Disney temporarily owned Saban at one point? Not so sure about that since just because Disney also owns Star Wars, we still have yet to see a Marvel/Star Wars crossover (and likely never will).

They probably would've given Power Rangers over to the Marvel division for branding purposes and because it suits the franchise than the murkiness it had by itself for much of the Disney years, as it didn't necessarily fit the Disney image, while they didn't have superheroes of their own per say at the time, especially of that caliber. And it's thematically similar to what Marvel has out and is generally speaking. They both deal with cosmic and other threats including demons and other monsters, get their powers from different places, and unlike the X-Men, aren't in a world where the Avengers run around and save lives. They'd most likely have the TV show go on as is, perhaps with more talent from Marvel itself. The biggest issue with Power Rangers under Disney is that they didn't know how to expand it or do anything with it. Kind of like they screwed up John Carter. I doubt Disney would be stupid enough to not have two of its superhero franchises under the same roof. Like how Milestone Comics became a DC imprint and eventually just DC itself.
On the other hand, Disney could've also attempted a Saban/Disney superhero universe adapting Gargoyles, Jake Long and Kim Possible into the fold, but we really can't know how it'd work. It would be hugely ironic given Stan Lee owned Super Sentai's American rights and was responsible for it existing.

Unfortunately this means that Boom Comics doesn't get the comics, and pretty much everything over the TV show is unpredictable if there was a movie out that was a success. On the other hand, we probably get Gobusters, Gokaiger is probably its own season and most of the issues the series has faced wouldn't have came to fruition, probably for other ones we'd complain about.

[LegendZilla]

^Disney actually owned Saban and Marvel at different times. In 2009 they bought Marvel almost immediately after loosing Saban, or at least in this timeline.

[SonOfGorgo]

To get things back on track here. I also think that because the Godzilla film would more or less be likely to be released in '96 instead of '98, Peter Jackson and Universal probably would've more likely indeed make their King Kong remake in '98 as originally intended.

[GodzillaFan1990's]

I also think Toho wouldn't of been as much strict as they are today since IIRC the 1998 film is what caused them to keep Godzilla on a tight leash thus would probably be more willing to do crossovers as from what I recalled Dark Horse intended to do comic crossovers of Godzilla with Terminator and Predator.

We probably could've even gotten that Godzilla/Gamera crossover back in the early 2000's, despite popular belief, Toho doesn't actually hate Gamera otherwise if they did, they wouldn't of distributed the Heisei trilogy nor had that stage show between Godzilla and Gamera back in the 70's or Gamera would be appearing in City Shrouded in Shadow which is also starring Godzilla. The real reason had to do with that their latest Godzilla movies haven't been doing well in the box office and due to what I said above had it not been for the 1998 film, they wouldn't be as strict as they are today.

I also think the Heisei Gamera trilogy (All three movies equal as my favorite movie) would never came to be since its pretty obvious that Gamera's origins seem to have taken that from Godzilla 94's origin unless at some chance this was all an coincidence which even then I doubt because the similarities are rather too obvious especially being the whole artificial bio-weapons created by an ancient civilizations in the past awakening to deal with ancient foes (Gryphon for Godzilla 94 and Gyaos for Gamera), as a result Gamera probably would've been very obscure to the point meaning no Gamera the Brave nor would he likely be as popular to the kaiju fandom as he is today since when Gamera is brought up by them, they'll be thinking of the Showa series which would probably be the only existing films of the character even though perhaps there would be a good chance a new movie would've eventually of been made, whether in the 2000's or later is beyond me.

[LegendZilla]

I also think the Heisei Gamera trilogy (All three movies equal as my favorite movie) would never came to be since its pretty obvious that Gamera's origins seem to have taken that from Godzilla 94's origin unless at some chance this was all an coincidence which even then I doubt because the similarities are rather too obvious especially being the whole artificial bio-weapons created by an ancient civilizations in the past awakening to deal with ancient foes (Gryphon for Godzilla 94 and Gyaos for Gamera), as a result Gamera probably would've been very obscure to the point meaning no Gamera the Brave nor would he likely be as popular to the kaiju fandom as he is today since when Gamera is brought up by them, they'll be thinking of the Showa series which would probably be the only existing films of the character even though perhaps there would be a good chance a new movie would've eventually of been made, whether in the 2000's or later is beyond me.

Either that or we would’ve got an assexually reproducing Gamera who eats fish and gets killed by missiles.

[Desghidorah]

Less on the topic of the Millennium era and more on the character, but I think if we got the Jan de Bont Godzilla film we would have seen a shift in Godzilla's character. I mean that as a case of after a popular incarnation of a character appears, the character as a whole tends to codify and reuse distinct elements to said incarnation. Take Superman for instance. He originally could not fly, only jump very far. However after the popular George Reeve Superman series, The Adventures of Superman, had Superman fly from place to place, the character started flying and never really stopped.

So if Jan de Bont's Godzilla was made and was a hit in the USA and Japan, I'd expect some of Bont!Godzilla's traits to pop up in any future incarnations regardless of who made them. Doubly so if a franchise or trilogy was made. So maybe we'd see a more horizontal stance, green hide, or weakness to the fluid pop up again? It's not very outlandish given the 2014 film already has had an effect given anime Godzilla's look and some of the cinematography in Shin Godzilla takes inspiration from it.

[LegendZilla]

Mind speculating what Godzilla films we would’ve seen Toho throw out in the wake of the Debont film had it been made? I’ve heard rumors somewhere that Toho back in the day was actually contemplating continuing the Heisei saga with the further adventures of Junior. In said films, he would have been pitted against certain Kaiju from The PlayStation game such as Shiigan or Jyramu. If so, do you guys think that’s the most feasible route Toho would’ve gone?

Oh, and here’s another thing worth speculating : how would've the community of us fans been effected? For example, would we bicker over the same things such as beam wars?