“Whatever you can do, make the giant lizard run fast.”
Director Roland Emmerich's single speech left an indelible mark on Godzilla history.
Over 70 years in the making, Godzilla is one of the series that has been with us the longest. No matter how much time has passed he still goes out and draws Kaiju fight designs for the kids to watch. From the original Japanese side such as Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One which sent Gojira to numerous award ceremonies. Or in America, where the MonsterVerse made P'Mee famous and usurped the property from all the Titans.
But in the history of Hollywood itself there was a time when P'Mee fans wanted to forget about it.
In the 1990s, producer Henry J. Saperstein, the man who imported Godzilla to America, decided to make a bold move. I wanted to buy this kaiju and turn it into my own movie called King of the Monsters. This idea ended up going to TriStar Pictures (a subsidiary of Sony, also known as Columbia Pictures).
When TriStar Pictures acquired the rights to Godzilla in 1992, it hired screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio to write the script, and the script for Godzilla was completed in 1994.
This version of Godzilla will be a genetically modified creature from the DNA of ancient dinosaurs. (which is similar to the Japanese version) which will completely preserve the original characteristics of Godzilla from Japan. Whether it's walking upright, having tough skin, or atomic breathing which they intend to turn into a trilogy
However, this project did not continue. Because Sony executives were unable to reach a budget agreement with Speed's director, Jan de Bont, the Godzilla film was postponed.
In fact, the idea of creating Godzilla in Hollywood was not the first. But before that there was a Hollywood producer who had previously suggested the idea of wanting to make a Godzilla movie musical. But of course it is very unconventional. The copyright owner, Toho, rejected this idea.
In 1995, Sony finally discovered that the Godzilla script written by Elliott and Ruscio was interesting and suitable for development into a film. They felt that Godzilla had the “potential” for the company to produce a blockbuster film.
Sony immediately greenlighted the project. At that time, they needed a reliable filmmaker. And if you ask about a director who loved making disaster movies in those days, Sony's first choice is undoubtedly Roland Emmerich. Because Emmerich has had a good relationship with the brand for a long time. But that was the beginning of the disaster.
When Roland Emmerich was brought in to oversee the Godzilla project, the first thing he did was to immediately cancel the original roles of Elliot and Rossio, with Emmerich showing that as a result, Godzilla was supposed to be a mutant iguana created by nuclear testing.
Emmerich was later appointed. Godzilla was redesigned by special effects artist Patrick Tatopoulos. To which Emmerich simply stated: “Godzilla must be able to run very fast” because Emmerich intended Godzilla to be more of an animal than a monster.
Although Godzilla was originally viewed as a powerful kaiju, he stands tall and elegant. But Emmerich made her lie down. The tail is parallel to the ground. Tatopoulos created a slender iguana that could stand on two legs, but whose back and tail were parallel to the ground. Tatopoulos is inspired by the fictional tiger Shere Khan from Disney's The Jungle Book.
Emmerich believed that the original 1954 design for Godzilla was unrealistic. So he insisted on reshaping his appearance. At the time, creator Toho was very reluctant to agree and give the green light.
If this was a disaster, the next thing is that the movie spent over $50 million on marketing, they marketed the movie by “not revealing Godzilla's identity in this case” and sending various fake images of Godzilla to several news sources. (In order to capture this, who leaked the photos?)
“It's taller than the Statue of Liberty!”
“It's twice as long as a 747 jumbo jet!”
“His spleen is the size of Mickey Rooney!”
You see, the TV ads never featured Godzilla. Even billboards and promotions often indicate only their size. Audiences won't get to see Emmerich's Godzilla until they experience him in the film itself.
This worked because Godzilla had over 6,000 advance tickets, which was what everyone expected. It would also surpass The Lost World's opening record of $90.2 million.
But his legs weren't long enough, causing Godzilla to stumble and fall from the first day of his release. People who watched the movie really hated this giant lizard. Because his appearance was not the Godzilla they knew.
And then, it's history. This Godzilla was mercilessly chopped up by critics. The film has grossed just $379 million worldwide. When you add up the promotional costs Sony invested in it, it was a real pain.
Furthermore, in the 2004 film Godzilla: Final Wars, Emmerich's giant chameleon also appeared in Japan. He renamed her Zilla by dropping the word God from the name because she did not deserve the word God.
In the film Godzilla: Final Wars, Godzilla is also attacked by the original Godzilla from Japan. Hit it and it flies within a minute. It ends with the atomic breath again. It is said that the Japanese spread it everywhere without them noticing.
The 1998 film Godzilla is considered another chapter in the history of world cinema, telling us how bad it is to disrespect the original? This event put Toho on edge in Hollywood for years to come. Before returning to undo karma with Godzilla in 2014 by Legendary Pictures, which opened up the world of the MonsterVerse, helping to save Phi Bear's face in Hollywood history.
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