'Godzilla' News: Japanese Company Wants to Do a Remake
Last year saw another reboot of the monster classic "Godzilla" directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen and Bryan Cranston. Warner Bros. who got the remake rights from Toho came out with a box office hit that earned over $500 million worldwide. According to Cinema Blend, Edwards is also planning a sequel to the 2014 film, which is set to be released in 2018.
Toho, the Japanese company who owns the rights to the Japanese monster classic, now wants to do their own remake. In a report in Variety, the company has signed on two directors who are known for their work in Japanese film to direct the remake: Hideki Anno and Shinji Higuchi. Both directors also have other tasks in the movie – Anno is reported to be writing the script while Higuchi will be supervising the movie's visual effects.
Toho had earlier given the rights to Warner Bros. to do a remake, after their last movie in 2004 earned only $12 million. It is apparent in their announcement that they are very "excited" about coming up with a remake that they are calling "Godzilla 2016."
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"Ever since Hollywood announced that 'Godzilla' was to be resurrected, the expectation for another Japanese Godzilla grew. And if we were to newly produce, we looked into Japanese creators who were the most knowledgeable and who had the most passion for Godzilla," they said in a statement in Variety.
Anno is known for his work as an animator and director of anime films including his most well-known work "Neon Genesis Evangelion." Higuchi on the other hand also worked on the "Evangelion" but is also known for his feature film "The Sinking of Japan."
The Japanese remake will come out in 2016, two years ahead of the Warner Bros. sequel. The report did not mention what Warner Bros. thinks about this new development.
