Lost Project Discussion: Godzilla vs M (2001)

[SonOfGorgo]

Since I couldn't find a thread discussing such, I thought I might make one myself.

To place my own opinion on the storyline Shusuke Kaneko proposed, it seems pretty solid. The whole father-daughter relationship is interesting (Am I the only one who thinks that this was brought over the GMK the final product), and I would've loved to see what Kaneko's 'Republic of Japan' might look like. Also, I think his reason for dropping the idea seems a bit questionable; he apparently claimed his idea was too dark and depressing, but he didn't seemed to have any problem directing the incredibly grim Gamera 3 (mind you, 2 years earlier).

Anyways, those were my thoughts so far, what are yours? Feel free to express such in the comments below. Thank you.

Link below:
http://www.tohokingdom.com/cutting_room ... _vs_m.html

[edgaguirus]

The daughter dying to save her father is a little bleak, but the alien transformation idea does sound interesting.

[SonOfGorgo]

The daughter dying to save her father is a little bleak, but the alien transformation idea does sound interesting.

Does it being bleak mean it could've been bad?

[edgaguirus]

Of course not. The film, The Fly, is a somewhat sad film, but it's a very good one as well.

[SonOfGorgo]

I also like the idea of an alternative future in the form of the "Republic of Japan", and I kind of wish they would've used that for GMK to make it more unique and stand out.

Of course not. The film, The Fly, is a somewhat sad film, but it's a very good one as well.

The original or the remake?

[edgaguirus]

The original.

[GigaBowserG]

What a coincidence - was doing some translations for this project today, and it turns out Godzilla 1998 was supposed to have a slightly~ more substantial play here.

* In 1954, Godzilla comes ashore and wrecks Japan. When he returns to the sea, he is killed by the "Oxygen Destroyer" developed by a certain researcher.

* There is a conference, and the theory that Mesozoic dinosaurs may have survived extinction and had their DNA altered due to nuclear testing, making them enormous. But as no corpses remain, not even of Godzilla, this theory remains just that.

* Only photographs and some film remains of Godzilla, but because they all were taken at night, his details aren't visible. Having an idea of what Godzilla truly is is left up more to the imagination.

... And after 50 years, the Japanese slowly forget the disaster Godzilla wrought.

* In 1998, a giant creature resembling Godzilla raids New York. The American government calls this creature "Godzilla". It is exterminated by the army.

* There is division whether this is the same monster that attacked Tokyo in 1954. Its morphology, its movement, etc. are markedly different from the recorded specimen from Japan.

* The fertility of this "Godzilla" is strong. Hundreds of its eggs hatch in a short time, but all the Baby Godzillas are all disposed of, and no eggs remain.

... But this rings a warning bell for humanity, that monsters like this could appear anywhere at any time.

...More or less.

[SonOfGorgo]

Spoiler:

What a coincidence - was doing some translations for this project today, and it turns out Godzilla 1998 was supposed to have a slightly~ more substantial play here.

* In 1954, Godzilla comes ashore and wrecks Japan. When he returns to the sea, he is killed by the "Oxygen Destroyer" developed by a certain researcher.

* There is a conference, and the theory that Mesozoic dinosaurs may have survived extinction and had their DNA altered due to nuclear testing, making them enormous. But as no corpses remain, not even of Godzilla, this theory remains just that.

* Only photographs and some film remains of Godzilla, but because they all were taken at night, his details aren't visible. Having an idea of what Godzilla truly is is left up more to the imagination.

... And after 50 years, the Japanese slowly forget the disaster Godzilla wrought.

* In 1998, a giant creature resembling Godzilla raids New York. The American government calls this creature "Godzilla". It is exterminated by the army.

* There is division whether this is the same monster that attacked Tokyo in 1954. Its morphology, its movement, etc. are markedly different from the recorded specimen from Japan.

* The fertility of this "Godzilla" is strong. Hundreds of its eggs hatch in a short time, but all the Baby Godzillas are all disposed of, and no eggs remain.

... But this rings a warning bell for humanity, that monsters like this could appear anywhere at any time.

...More or less.

Interesting, but it doesn't seem related to the M concept.

[ShinGi]

Would be an interesting movie but still like what we got with GMK

[Godzilla2004fan]

I remember a photo by Toho Kingdom that I publish in Tumblr. Before calling this project "Godzilla vs. M" it was refered as "Godzilla vs. Uchuujin".

Image maded by Toho Kingdom:

[AllosaurHell]

I remember a photo by Toho Kingdom that I publish in Tumblr. Before calling this project "Godzilla vs. M" it was refered as "Godzilla vs. Uchuujin".

Image maded by Toho Kingdom:

It's quite nostalgic to look at that image.

Yeah this is one of the more strange but serious ideas for a Godzilla film, I'm much more happy we got GMK because I'm quite 50/50 on this one.

[Stump Feet]

Idk, always seemed weird to me because there's an Ultraman episode exactly like this.

[AllosaurHell]

Idk, always seemed weird to me because there's an Ultraman episode exactly like this.

I agree, I think they were purposely gonna use it as inspiration because there's no way it's just a coincidence.

[Godzillian]

Really loved this idea, a shame it never got made. We got GMK though so can't complain too much. The idea of the guy slowly turning into a kaiju sounds like a great idea

[Gigantis]

Not gonna lie, while the project itself sounds nice..it also sounds like Toho would be begging Tsuburaya to sue them to high hell if it went through because M is pretty much just Jamila 2.0.

[G2000]

Overall this was a very intriguing concept and i'm kind of bummed it wasn't made. One aspect that particularly intrigues me is the alternate history angle. How did Japan become a republic and retain a large military post-WW2? Did the war go differently in this world, or did it happen at all? Was the monarchy abolished peacefully, or overthrown somehow? How would this have ultimately affected the plot?

What a coincidence - was doing some translations for this project today, and it turns out Godzilla 1998 was supposed to have a slightly~ more substantial play here.

...More or less.

It's certainly interesting that Kaneko wanted to so explicitly incorporate G'98 into his canon from relatively early on. I wouldn't have minded something like this at all, it's certainly better-handled than it was in Final Wars.

Not gonna lie, while the project itself sounds nice..it also sounds like Toho would be begging Tsuburaya to sue them to high hell if it went through because M is pretty much just Jamila 2.0.

Idk, always seemed weird to me because there's an Ultraman episode exactly like this.

While there are certainly similarities and it's almost certain Kaneko was inspired by Jamila, Ultraman doesn't really have a monopoly on the "astronaut turns into alien monster" concept. Off the top of my head both The Quartermass Experiment and an episode of The Outer Limits did similar stories before Tsuburaya did

The original.

Interesting. Most people, myself included, tend to consider the '86 remake superior to the original '58 film. Not saying you're wrong, just not the usual opinion I see.
The remake is definitely a sad film, the ending is absolutely heart-wrenching

[imposterzilla]

Always wondered what this Mutant human haiku would look like?

[LegendZilla]

^I wonder if Kaneko is a Japanese republican.

[tbeasley]

^I wonder if Kaneko is a Japanese republican.

Just assuming but I feel like he wouldn't depict a high-tech militarized 'Republic of Japan' in a positive light. It's toned down in the final film (Satsuma/D-03 over Gotengo/Masers) but the JSDF taking credit for Godzilla's defeat with the Oxygen Destroyer covered up is shown to have negative consequences.

[Showa Gyaos]

While I'm quite content with GMK and what it is, this idea is still very intriguing and serious and would have been tonally different from what had been in the Millennium series at that point.