From beginning to end. We chronicle the long, long round from early rumors to post interviews for Godzilla (2014). This news roundup of the movie, born indirectly from the lost concept of Godzilla 3D to the Max, goes from 2009 to 2017, when the director was promoting Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The journey for this movie was long. Have your own memories of this time? Be sure to share them at the comments way, way at the bottom.

April 19th 2017 update

It’s been a bit since there’s been any Gareth Edwards mention on Toho Kingdom but with the release of “Rogue One” on Blu-ray recently, Gareth has been making the rounds in the press to promote the release. First up is his keynote speech at South by Southwest in March 2017. It’s an interesting speech which covers his career and while interesting, this includes a brief segment on the 2014 Godzilla.

Next up is an interview with Collider.com where one of the subjects is of the fate of the long awaited extended cut of Godzilla (2014) – first mentioned here in my interview with former Legendary CEO Thomas Tull – and its deleted scenes. It’s not the answer fans hoped for (especially concerning the much hyped but never seen deleted scene – outside of a still image – of Godzilla (1954) actor Akira Takarada still hasn’t seen the light of day), but the ball is in Legendary’s court for the extended cut it seems.

In the end, these are both very interesting pieces to read/watch and I highly recommend you check them out!

July 2nd 2014 update

Legendary’s Godzilla (2014) has released in most markets. It came out in much of the world in May of this year. China got the film in June, and it became Warner Bros.’ most successful opener in the region with a huge $37 million opening weekend.

Japan is the last country to receive the film. It will be distributed in the area by Toho, who has full rights to the title in that country. July 25th is its release date, and promotion for the title is starting to kick up.

Part of that promotion are new posters. While earlier teaser posters have gone into circulation, the final poster is now available. Using the Godzilla shot first seen on the Empire cover, the design places the cast foremost with Godzilla in the background. It’s fairly unlike the posters used in the other markets to date.

Click the image for a super high resolution version.

May 18th 2014 update

Godzilla (2014) ruled the global box office during its opening weekend (May 16th-18th), which has generated early talks of a sequel being green lighted as well (more on that when it develops).

The movie started off with a bang in the US as it scored a colossal estimated $38.5 million from Thursday previews and Friday. This marked the largest opening day gross of the year, ahead of Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($36.9 million) and The Amazing Spider-man 2 ($35.1 million).

For the opening weekend, the movie is projected to earn $93.2 million. This is from an estimated $32.2 million take on Saturday and a projected $22.5 million gross for Sunday. This would be the second largest opening weekend of 2014, right behind Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($95 million).

For the two day gross, Godzilla‘s audience was 58% male, 60% over the age of 24. 51% of the gross was from 3D showings, while IMAX accounted for $14.1 million of the take.

Overseas, Godzilla earned an estimated $103 million from 64 markets this weekend. The UK ($10.4 million) and Russia ($9.1 million) were the film’s biggest markets after the US. Other major markets included Mexico ($8.9 million), France ($6.5 million), Australia ($6.1 million), Korea ($4.5 million), Brazil ($4.2 million), Italy ($3.6 million) and Spain ($1.6 million).

Godzilla still has openings in a few major markets, including China in June and Japan in July where Toho is distributing the movie.

Against other recent kaiju films in North America, Godzilla tracked much higher for its debut. It was 85% ahead of Peter Jackson’s King Kong ($50.1 million), 212% ahead of Cloverfield ($40 million) and 250% ahead of Pacific Rim ($37.3 million).

Just for fun, here is Godzilla‘s performance if it behaves like the three films mentioned above from here on out in terms of their opening weekend versus their final gross. Chances are, it will not, as only two of the films were in 3D and Godzilla‘s opening was so much larger that its almost guaranteed to be more front loaded with the tough competition ahead from X-Men: Days of Future Past. It will likely fall somewhere in between Cloverfield and Pacific Rim in terms of a growth model.

Like Cloverfield: $186 million
Like Pacific Rim: $254 million
Like King Kong: $405 million

May 7th 2014 update

In case anyone missed it the first time, Legendary has a fun site up called GodzillaAlert.com where you can submit videos of yourself experiencing the arrival of Godzilla! If you do submit a video, tag #TohoKingdom along with #GodzillaAlert in the description so they won’t miss them!”

Also, newly launched is a new Godzilla game called “Godzilla Strike Zone” which you can download/play here

Web: http://strikezone.godzillamovie.com
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/com.wb.godzilla.strikezone/id855556927
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wb.goog.godzilla.strikezone

*Note: There is a way to record and edit your gameplay videos: The gameplay recording is done through the EveryPlay plugin. While playing the game, there should be a little camera icon in upper right of screen. Tapping/clicking this will start recording. Tapping/clicking again will stop. From there you should be able to trim, add audio and share.”

May 1st 2014 update

Legendary Pictures is asking fans to submit their reaction to Godzilla’s arrival in a video, leading to a world-wide Godzilla reaction video. All videos are welcome, although notable landmarks in the background are preferred to give it a sense of scope. More information on the project can be found here. An example entry is located here. For any fans who want to submit videos, Legendary has created a special site: http://godzillaalert.com/submit

April 30th 2014 update

Hitting the internet last night with a huge splash was the newest trailer for “Godzilla” entitled “Asia” (with Mandarin subtitles). Presented here for the first time ever is the FULL 1080P version of the trailer!

April 29th 2014 update

For those interested, the full 1080p version of the “Nature Has An Order” TV spot is now available for viewing.

Also, as a reward for those who contributed and those who viewed the “show us your roar!” promotion today, Warner Bros./ Legendary Pictures have released a new trailer for Godzilla entitled “Asia”.

April 27th 2014 update

A new edition of Godzilla’s ‘Meet the Director’ series is here, this time the Gareth Edwards gives advice to budding film makers.

April 25th 2014 update

The second Japanese trailer for the 2014 Godzilla has been released.

Also, a new installment of Godzilla’s ‘Meet the Director’ series is here. This week Gareth Edwards talks about “meeting the monster“.

Warner bros has also released shots of some of the more merchandise being created around the film, including pens, bookmarks and more. Click for a larger view.

April 15th 2014 update

At their store, Warner Bros has blown out with a lot of merchandise on the upcoming Godzilla film, due out on May 16, 2014. The six categories of merchandise are found below, with images of each and prices. Click the image for a link to view it on the store.

Allover Printed t-shirts have edge to edge and front and back printing and vibrant colors. Available in Adult sizes Small- XXXL; 100% polyester; $44.95.

T-shirts feature great graphics. Available in Adult Sizes Small- XXXL; not all sizes available in all colors; 100% cotton; $24.95-$26.95.

Available for iPhone 4/4S and 5/5S and Galaxy 3 and 4 these phone cases go for $34.95. The ultra-thin firm outer shell fully covers the back and sides of the phone while giving complete access to all ports and functions.

100% cotton canvas messenger bag with adjustable shoulder strap; $39.95.

Ceramic mug; holds 11 ounces; $14.95.

Stainless steel water bottles; holds $20 ounces; $21.95.

April 11th 2014 update

In keeping with a tradition, the highest quality online version of the Extended Trailer for Godzilla is now on Toho Kingdom.

Also, the official Godzilla movie website, Godzillamovie.com, has been updated with not only what I can assume is a track from the film’s score, but also two fan contests. One is the “Ultimate Fan Contest” where one makes a video showing everyone how big of a Godzilla fan that they are and the winner gets to fly with a friend to the UK premiere/press junket.

The second, is a fan art contest and the official prize description reads: WE WANT YOU TO CREATE THE MOST EPIC ORIGINAL POSTER CAPTURING GODZILLA’S MASSIVE SCALE AND SCOPE. THE WINNING ARTWORK, SELECTED BY DIRECTOR GARETH EDWARDS, WILL BE DISPLAYED AT THE ICONIC TCL CHINESE THEATRE IMAX IN HOLLYWOOD

Finally, the third installment of Godzilla’s ‘Meet the Director’ series is here! This week Gareth Edwards tells us where he was and how it felt to get THE call for the release of Godzilla this May 15!

April 3rd 2014 update

In the second part of our ‘Meet the Director’ series, Gareth Edwards tells us about the advantages of being surrounded by “the best of the best” for the release of Godzilla this May 15!

The full series will be launched on Wednesday each week in the run up to release at https://www.facebook.com/GodzillaMovieUK and it would be amazing if you could ask your fans to like the page to stay up to date with the videos as they are posted. Join us as the British director of this year’s biggest monster movie, Gareth Edwards, divulges his experience of taking on the biggest movie of 2014.

Legendary has released a “behind the scenes” video about the creation of the Mondo Poster for the SXSW festival.

Three out of the five current International TV spots are now online in the highest possible quality!

Check our All the Godzilla 2014 Trailers blog for the three newest TV Spots in full 1080p resolution.

Also, Popular Mechanics has an interview with Gareth Edwards about creating Godzilla. Here is Part 1, and here is Part 2.

Special thanks to Jeff Horne for the head’s up on the interview!

March 23rd 2014 update

Legendary Pictures has released another new poster. Click for a high resolution version.

March 21st 2014 update

Full speed ahead. Warner Bros. has released yet another poster for the film, this time with troops watching Godzilla while they have flares over their head. Check the image to the left for a high resolution version.

In addition, here is a high resolution version of yesterday’s poster with the tail.

Also Collider sat down for an interview with Legendary Pictures CEO and Producer Thomas Tull to talk about Godzilla and all this Legendary. He goes over selecting Gareth Edwards and his hopes for the film.

March 19th 2014 update

Warner Bros. has released a new international trailer for Godzilla, check it out here. They have also unveiled a new poster, which modifies the tail poster from earlier and places it in a city setting.

March 13th 2014 update

Warner Bros. has released new logos for Godzilla. The logo is very close to the original, although with a change in color.

To view the super high resolution versions:

Logo with Kanji HD
Logo with no Kanji HD

March 11th 2014 update

Today, March 11th, Godzilla director Gareth Edwards will be participating in a LIVE Q&A event at 5:10pm PST/8:10pm EST on the official Godzilla Facebook page.

February 28th 2014 update

A new Snicker’s commercial has been released, tied into the upcoming Godzilla film.

The extended version is above, while the TV version can be found here.

February 26th 2014 update

News and media on the upcoming Godzilla film is really starting to rush in now.

Earlier, Empire Magazine unveiled their subscriber exclusive Godzilla cover. Today, they show off their normal Godzilla cover, seen to the right. The design is less artsy and shows Godzilla head on as ground troops are seen below.

To celebrate, Forbidden Planet will host a magazine signing with the 2014 Godzilla director Gareth Edwards. The signing will be from 6-7PM at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore (located at 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR) on Friday February 28th.

February 25th 2014 update

The new, FULL trailer for Godzilla 2014 went online today and just like last time, Toho Kingdom has the highest quality version available online! This codec is the type that the CGI artists get to work with. Click below to watch! Be sure to click the HD button to see the highest resolution possible. Enjoy!

Credit goes to Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures for allowing us to share this.

February 24th 2014 update

Empire magazine has shown off their upcoming subscriber bonus cover for their magazine. The cover story is related to the upcoming Godzilla film, showing the character as helicopters buzz around him. Of note is that the April 2014 edition will feature one of the first sanctioned views of the upcoming character’s face, although obscured a little.

In addition, hidden as an Easter Egg on godzillamovie.com/awakenthetruth/ is an extended cut of the trailer audio from Bryan Cranston posted on the site.

As a surprise bonus, Warner Bros. has also started distributing the monster’s roar that will be used in the upcoming film. Below is an 11 second promotion version. It should be noted that it sounds different than Godzilla has in past films although is still recognizable as the roar for the King of the Monsters.

February 22nd 2014 update

Here are the super high resolution (66 mb) versions of the new Godzilla 2014 poster: with and without text!

Enjoy!

February 20th 2014 update

A new poster for the upcoming Godzilla film has been released, showing the King of the Monsters towering over San Francisco.

While we knew that Godzilla was going to be big, much bigger than normal, this gives a scope of how big. As has been the common observation, Godzilla is roughly twice as big here as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. That puts him at around 100 stories tall, or 1,000 feet. That also translates out to around 300 meters. This would make him six times as tall as the original Godzilla from Godzilla (1954) and three times as big as the previous largest Godzilla from Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) assuming these estimates are at least close. However, more the likely, the poster is a slight exaggeration of the monster’s true size.

Click for a large view.

December 13th 2013 update

For our friends across the Pacific, please check out these new Japanese trailers. Included here is the full teaser trailer, while here is a Japanese TV spot for the upcoming 2014 film. For our friends in Deutschland, please check out the German trailer.

Also check here for a new textless version of the poster.

December 10th 2013 update

Legendary has posted a new trailer! Check it out below:

In other news, the viral marketing campaign has officially begun.
Join the fun at M.U.T.O Research today…

… and don’t forget to check out the new poster and stills!

Included are reaction shots of Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass) and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), click the two links to view.

September 26th 2013 update

Advertising agency MJD has won the “Best Platform – Experiential” award for Barnaby Legg‘s Godzilla Encounter event in San Diego over the summer at the 2013 OMMA Digital Out of Home Award.

August 30th 2013 update

Legendary Pictures has announced that they have found a composer for the upcoming 2014 Godzilla film: selecting French composer Alexandre Desplat. An Academy Award nominated artist, Desplat has done both franchise work, scoring Twilight Saga: New Moon and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 / Part 2, and critically acclaimed movies such as Zero Dark Thirty.

Desplat has been nominated a total of five times by the Academy Awards for his soundtrack work on Argo, The King’s Speech, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Queen.

July 25th 2013 update

Legendary has posted a small video about the fan reactions to the Godzilla Encounter that was at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Having experienced the Encounter for myself [Chris speaking here!], I have to say it was truly an amazing experience. The last part of the Encounter though, is where the experience really shines. It’s the closest you’ll ever feel that Godzilla exists and is a living, breathing thing. Kudos to Legendary for such an amazing experience!

July 21st 2013 update

Godzilla made a huge splash at Comic-Con over the weekend for its Hall H showing at the event on Saturday, July 20th. Included was a new teaser trailer for Godzilla featuring the cast including Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, before getting to the meat of the teaser at an airport that is under siege by an insect-like monster destroying everything. Reports have been mixed, with io9 reporting a beetle carapace on the creature, IGN calling it scorpion-like, HitFix calling it mantis-like and LA Times reporting a winged monster that they, and Entertainment Weekly, muse could be Mothra (Battra, Kamacuras or Meganula are more likely possibilities given the villainous role… but it’s probably an all new monster).

Suddenly, next to the creature lands Godzilla’s foot, as the King of the Monsters towers over the smaller insect. A shot of Godzilla is then seen letting out a roar as he towers over everything in view. Sadly, the footage is currently under lockdown, but hopefully will be screened to the public eventually.

To further drum up interest in the film, besides the teaser, cast and crew interviews were done both on and off the stage. First, Huffington Post snagged a one-on-one interview with director Gareth Edwards. It goes over several details, such as that the film will be an origin story for the monster king. Second, IGN has a video interview with the director, who talks about working on the Godzilla design very extensively with Toho and new metaphors for the creature in today’s era. He also mentions that this Godzilla is the tallest one, so it would be over 100 meters tall from that. Finally comes the on stage interviews with the director, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, and Bryan Cranston. The overlying message was that they were approaching this more like an art house project, playing inside Edwards wheelhouse for his work on Monsters, and that the film will have a greater emphasis on the characters and weaving that into a cohesive story with the titular monster. Cranston also admitted to Godzilla being his favorite monster even before joining the project.

July 18th 2013 update

Over Twitter, Legendary Pictures has released the latest teaser poster which gives the first glimpse of Godzilla. The image shows the kaiju’s tail in the clouds, with a dorsal fin design that is quite unique compared to versions of the character previously seen on the King of the Monsters. The poster gives the vague release date of Summer 2014, although the film is still currently scheduled for May 16, 2014.

Click the image for a larger view.

July 15th 2013 update

For Comic-Con 2013, Legendary Pictures is rolling out the deluxe treatment for the King of the Monsters.

Through their site, GodzillaEncounter.com, has begun to build up a viral-style puzzle that is leading into an event this Tuesday. One of the hints allows Comic-Con badge holders to attend by going to GodzillaEncounter.TicketLeap.com and giving the code “SERIZAWA”.

Legendary Pictures has also unleashed an art poster, seen to the left, to help promote the event. The poster was released today, Monday July 15th, and shows a Godzilla shaped out of rubble, sporting dorsal fins similar to the character from Godzilla: 2000 Millennium (1999).

Director Gareth Edwards also made a personal address over YouTube, further teasing the upcoming venue.

The production, which will be one of the last Legendary Pictures projects distributed by Warner Bros in the States before they move to Universal, is reported by Variety to be projected to cost around $160 million, which is close to the $185 million budget of the recent Pacific Rim by the same company which had a 75% and 25% budget split between Legendary and Warner Bros respectively.

Furthermore, Toho has also started to drum up their support for the project as well. Toho adviser and Magnitude 7.9 (1980) producer Hideyuki Takai stated that “Godzilla is a signature Japanese character which we have nurtured over the years. We are delighted in rebooting the character together [with Legendary Pictures] to realize its much-anticipated return by fans from all over the world. We are anxious to find out where Godzilla’s new stomping will take us.”

June 30th 2013 update

Legendary Pictures has laid on the table some of their expansive cross promotion retail plans for the upcoming 2014 Godzilla film. While merchandise commitments will continue to come in as the film’s release nears, Warner Bros. is touting the production this week at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, a few firms are already on board. These include Bandai America (doing toys and building sets for the new film), Jakks Pacific (larger scale figures), Trevco (apparel), Bioworld (apparel), Rubie’s (costumes) and Sideshow Collectibles (statues).

March 27th 2013 update

With filming underway, news is starting to trickle in at a faster rate now. First, Legendary Pictures released a day one shoot, set video with director Gareth Edwards. The video is very short, with Edwards basically describing that it was a long day. The set behind him appears to look like an airport or terminal, with signs for “Japanese Nationals” and “Foreign Passports” which would first hint toward the sequence taking place in or accepting travelers from Japan.

Next, Toho has added a listing to the movie on their own site. The listing is bare bones besides stating that Gareth Edwards will direct, but does confirm that the movie will see a 2014 release in Japan.

Finally, the biggest news this week is that legendary actor Akira Takarada will be featured in the film, as revealed by a picture posted on Twitter by Legendary Pictures. Takarada has starred in many of the Godzilla movies, including Godzilla (1954), Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966), Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) and Godzilla: Final Wars (2004).

The picture with the actor appears to be taken from the same set seen in the day one shoot video.

March 19th 2013 update

As reported last year, Legendary Pictures has announced that production on the upcoming Godzilla film has officially started. Filming has begun in Vancouver with director Garth Edwards. To celebrate, the studio has published an official press release. The news item confirms actors already mentioned, including Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Juliette Binoche (Chocolat). The release also reveals that David Strathairn (The Bourne Legacy) is attached to the project.

The biggest carrot from the release, however, is news that Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe has joined the cast. Although best known for his roles in The Last Samurai and Inception, Watanabe is no stranger to Toho related productions, having worked on Tampopo (1985) and Kizuna (1998).

Below is the press release in full:

WARNER BROS. PICTURES AND LEGENDARY PICTURES ANNOUNCE CAST AND START OF PRODUCTION FOR “GODZILLA”

BURBANK, CA, March 18, 2013 – Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today the final principal cast for the upcoming tent pole “Godzilla.” Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, and Juliette Binoche are starring in the film, with David Strathairn and Bryan Cranston.

The companies also announced that principal photography began today on location in Vancouver. Gareth Edwards is directing the film from a screenplay by Max Borenstein, Frank Darabont and Dave Callaham. Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni are producing with Mary Parent and Brian Rogers. Alex Garcia and Patricia Whitcher are serving as executive producers alongside Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira.

A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, “Godzilla” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, except in Japan, where it will be distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. Legendary Pictures is a division of Legendary Entertainment.

February 28th 2013 update

Chocolat star Juliette Binoche is in talks for a role in the upcoming Godzilla film, marking the fourth actor named to the production, although all four have a clause to turn down the contract barring review of the final script. Also, Warner Bros has begun marketing the film to advertisers, stating that the film will for sure feature at least another monster besides Godzilla and that the story is based from the perspective of a soldier.

February 8th 2013 update

More casting news, as Variety is reporting that Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) and Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) are in talks to appear in the film. Meanwhile, the previous legal tussle between the former film producers and Legendary Pictures is awaiting a state court judge to decide a key issue over arbitration in the case.

January 17th 2013 update

Recent news confirms that producers Dan Lin and Roy Lee were indeed forced off the project, and are now in a legal battle with Legendary Pictures of the production of Godzilla. The Hollywood Reporter has all the messy details of the legal blows, which now also includes producer Doug Davison, building between the two parties. The producers are seeking millions of dollars in damages and want Legendary Pictures to face “substantial punitive damages to make an example of Legendary so that it and no other studio will in the future treat their producers in this outrageous manner.” Furthermore, they are looking to halt production on Godzilla until the suit is settled. On the bright side and in unrelated news, Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass) is in talk to appear in the film, although it’s unknown what type of role he might have or how large.

January 7th 2013 update

It appears that Legendary Pictures is indeed not finished with the script, now bringing on a Frank Darabont to rewrite the script. Darabont has an impressive resume of past work, including The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, but marks the fifth writer who has come in to help work on what sounds like a troubled script. Things have also gotten more complex for the production as well due to producers Dan Lin and Roy Lee. There are conflicting reports, with one stating the pair just walked away from the project, while another states the pair were forced off with a money payout with no credit in the movie or back-end percentage; furthermore, according to the latter report, they are now taking legal action against Legendary Pictures.

November 26th 2012 update

Warner Bros has confirmed that the upcoming Godzilla film will be headed to IMAX on May 16, 2014. Secondly, Drew Pearce confirmed on November 14th that he had finished writing for the new Godzilla film. So unless Legendary Pictures brings on yet another writer for the film, which is always possible considering there are numerous writers already attached to the script, the movie’s plot is finished.

November 14th 2012 update

Collider.com reports that the movie’s cinematographer, Seamus McGarvey who worked on Marvel’s The Avengers, has stated that the upcoming Godzilla movie will begin filming: “…in March. March ’til June…”.

October 6th 2012 update

Director Gareth Edwards did an interview with the Coventry Telegraph. Edwards stated his approach for the film: “I’ve always been interested in Godzilla and the ideas around him. I really wanted to see another Godzilla film and jumped at the opportunity. My main idea was to imagine ‘If this really happened, what would it be like?’ I want to take a grounded, realistic approach to a Godzilla film.”

The Monsters director is also riding high from the reaction to the Comic-con teaser, saying: “But the reaction has been amazing and I can’t wait for the fans to see our final product.”

October 5th 2012 update

A new article, by Variety, indicates that the script is getting yet another writer attached to the project. The script is now in the rewrite stage by Drew Pearce, the writer for the upcoming Iron Man 3 film. Pearce now marks the fourth writer who has been tasked with working on the screenplay. According to the report, the latest rewrites are focused on using older characters than were originally planned.

September 14th 2012 update

Legendary Pictures’ upcoming film for the King of the Monsters finally has a date. Simply titled “Godzilla”, the movie will be released to theaters across the US on May 16, 2014, with other market releases to likely follow or coincide with that date. Distribution will be handled worldwide by Warner Bros, except for Japan which will be handled by Toho.

Not surprisingly, the film is planned for a 3D release, which was expected as it was born from Yoshimitsu Banno’s (director of Godzilla vs. Hedorah and writer of Prophecies of Nostradamus) efforts to produce a 3D Godzilla movie of his own, who will be one of the producers of the new film. The creative talents for the picture include Gareth Edwards as director (the director of Monsters) and a screenplay that is a collaboration between David Callaham (The Expendables and Doom), David S. Goyer (Blade and The Dark Knight) and Max Borenstein (relatively new to the scene, having worked on the upcoming The Seventh Son).

The news was revealed from a press release, which is included below:

THE ICONIC MOVIE MONSTER GODZILLA STOMPS INTO THEATERS ON MAY 16, 2014

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures have slated their take on the classic Godzilla franchise to kick off the Summer moviegoing season on May 16, 2014. The joint announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures, and by Legendary Pictures.

Toho Co., Ltd.’s Godzilla franchise contains one of the most widely recognized movie monsters worldwide, including more than 25 films, multiple television programs, video games and book series. Legendary, which has been developing the project, and its partner Warner Bros. will return the character to its epic roots with a gritty, realistic actioner. The project will fall under Legendary’s overall agreement with Warner Bros.

The film is directed by Gareth Edwards, who earned worldwide acclaim for his feature directorial debut, “Monsters.” Edwards directs from a screenplay by David Callaham (“The Expendables” films), David S. Goyer (the “Dark Knight” trilogy) and Max Borenstein (upcoming “The Seventh Son”). Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni will produce, along with Roy Lee, Dan Lin and Brian Rogers. Alex Garcia and Patricia Whitcher will serve as executive producers alongside Doug Davison, Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira.

A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, except in Japan, where it will be distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. The tent pole film is expected to be presented in 3D.

July 15th 2012 update

San Diego, 2012, Legendary Pictures has unveiled more information about the still under wraps new Godzilla film from the studio. On July 14th at Comic-Con, that curtain was lifted ever so slightly to contain some new visual and contextual info about the production.

First, a new poster for the movie debuted, pictured right, which features English text with the Japanese Kanji for Gojira in the background.

Second, a test reel was shown privately to the audience that encompassed the direction of the project. The footage showed a post apocalyptic city, covered in dust from the destruction and shots of hollowed-out buildings. To set the tone, the footage included a chilling archive voice over of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb”, saying his now famous quote: “We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent. I remembered the line from the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita; Vishnu is trying to persuade the Prince that he should do his duty and, to impress him, takes on his multi-armed form and says, Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds” (click to hear the passage). Following this was a quick flash of Godzilla’s profile before the test footage concluded.

The movie’s director, Gareth Edwards, then took the stage. He discussed his approach for the project: “I’m just going to take it really seriously,” Edwards said. “I’d like to see this movie this way all my life, really… There’s nothing sci-fi about this movie, it’s very grounded, realistic.”

July 14th 2011 update

Legendary Pictures’ upcoming Godzilla film finally has a writer, and its David Goyer. Working alongside director Gareth Edwards, Goyer has been tapped to take over the writing duties for the new film working on the first draft from David Callaham.

Goyer has a lot of experience in gothic and fanbase productions, doing horror early in his career before doing the Blade series and finally continuing with more comic book film work. His most famous films are Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, although he only co-wrote the first and submitted a story for the second.

Despite some high profile work, his name has also been attached to more questionable projects, including The Unborn, which he both wrote and directed, and the made for TV movie Nick Fury: Agent of Shield.

April 19th 2011 update

IGN has done an exclusive interview with Gareth Edwards, director of the upcoming Godzilla film from Legendary Pictures. The interview doesn’t reveal too much outside of Edwards feelings toward the character, his legacy and mentioning that his favorite film with the monster is the original Godzilla (1954). That said, the director has mostly been silent since landing the coveted position and this does finally grant some insight into his thoughts.

January 4th 2011 update

Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros have revealed their pick for the director of the tentative “Godzilla 2012” project.

The man responsible for the film will be indie, UK director Gareth Edwards. To date, Edwards’ most well known work is his directorial film debut: the 2010 movie Monsters, which garnered good although not great critical acclaim.

By selecting a relative newcomer, Legendary Pictures is taking a slight gamble on the production. However, the choice is not without logic, as Edwards has an extensive background in digital effects which will no doubt come into play when directing and structuring out sequences for the new Godzilla film.

September 22nd 2010 update

Zennie62 has posted up a video interview with “Godzilla 2012” producer Brian Rogers that was conducted at the 3D Summit in Universal City, Califorina.

The video makes it clear that the production is still in its very early stages, but some new details were still gathered. Some of the more notable bullet points include:

• Godzilla will be created with CGI
• There will be another monster in the movie besides just Godzilla
• The head sculpt design appearing around the web has “no truth” to it
• The project was indeed born from the Godzilla 3-D project that Yoshimitsu Banno was originally trying to get off the ground

July 24th 2010 update

Kaijukast has a picture of a shirt being distributed at Comic-Con in San Diego, reportedly by Legendary Pictures to promote the film. Time will tell if the image on the front is simply for promotional use, or if its a hint at the look of the new Godzilla for the 2012 film.

Check out the original article for a large shot of both the front and back of the shirt.

User tokyostateofmind has come across an impressive visual displaying involving the shirt, in which the breath is animated to viewers.

This display is found here.

A site for the company, Talking Dog Studios, behind the shirt can be found here. Furthermore, an interview with them regarding the shirt has been conducted at the TokyoStateofMind blog.

March 29th 2010 update

After being hinted at in August of 2009, it’s official that a new Godzilla movie is in the works for a release date tentatively set for 2012. Details are scarce, but what is known is that the movie will be produced by Legendary Pictures, the production house behind films such as The Dark Knight and the new Clash of the Titans. The movie will also be co-produced and co-financed with Warner Bros, who will distribute the movie outside of Japan while Toho will release the movie within the country.

In regards to official comment, Thomas Tull, Chairman and CEO of Legendary Pictures, stated: “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. 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.”

A director for the project is said to be forth coming in announcements. In terms of producers, Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Brian Rogers have been cited. Kenji Okuhira, Doug Davison and Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) director Yoshimitsu Banno will be executive producers on the project. Due to the inclusion of Okuhira and Banno, who had previously attempted to get the Godzilla 3D project off the ground, it’s very likely that this new movie is the offshoot from their effort to interest foreign studios in the franchise.

August 13th 2009 update

According to website Bloody Disgusting, Legendary Pictures is in the discussion stages to try and produce a new American Godzilla movie. Formed in 2005, Legendary Pictures debuted with the movie Batman Begins before producing many other productions such as its sequel and the upcoming Warcraft film. Currently there are no details available at this time for this Godzilla project and what Legendary Pictures might want to do with the character, or how likely this concept is to actually materialize. More as it develops.