Godzilla 2012: Brian Rogers On Legendary Pictures Film Plans

The 3D Summit in Universal City, CA was full of treasures that were right before you, even if many in the media didn't notice. Not so here. Godzilla 2012 Producer Brian Rogers took time from his event obligations as a panelist to talk about Legendary Pictures plans for the iconic film monster.

Already, without being embeded on any blog or website until now, the video interview is causing chatter on this blogger's Zennie62 YouTube page.

As a way of introducing the mostly-unknown Mr. Rogers to fans and observers, we talked about how he came to be involved in the picture slated for release in 2012. "That's the targeted release date," Rogers said. It's a fairly large project to set up, and everything so we're aiming for that point, or Legendary's aiming for that point and we hope we can actually make it."

Rogers said he got involved in the project via two Japanese gentlemen he met several years ago. One of the pair said he had the rights to do a Godzilla movie as an IMAX 3D project. "That person was Mr. Banno," Rogers said, speaking of Yoshimitsu Banno, and continued, "who had been a company director at Toho for 35 years and had directed Godzilla Versus Hedorah."

(As a note, Yoshimitsu Banno was ultimately banned from making future Godzilla films in 1971, but is back in action with Rogers for this 3D Godzilla. Godzilla Versus Hedorah is also called Godzilla Versus The Smog Monster and one of my favorite Godzilla movies. Here's a famous scene, the one that reportedly angered Godzilla creator Tomoyuki Tanaka:



"We started down the road trying to develop the project and during those early days," Rogers explained, "and I started to see the handwriting on the wall in terms of 3D feature films and 3D digital projections and seeing IMAX 3D pull back as a possible venue."

Rogers said that in 2007 they "went back and met with Toho to actually make the 3D version of Godzilla. And it did actually take a huge amount of time to get those negotiations and get a licensing agreement to the point that we had the ability to do a 3D feature film project."

Of all of the studio companies Rogers and his partners talked to, Legendary Pictures was the one that stepped forward, ready to join them.

Legendary: Rebooted Batman, Rebooting Godzilla

Legendary Pictures is the Santa Monica-based studio ran by Thomas Tull and best known for its movies Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, which successfully rebooted the iconic DC Comics character, expertly played by Christian Bale. Brian says Legendary is eager to work the same magic with Godzilla.

For those who have bad memories of the 1998 Godzilla film with Matthew Broadrick, relax. Rogers aays Legendary is committed to a reboot of Godzilla that remains faithful to the original radioactive monster. (Which means there will be "a breath thing" as Roland Emerich referred to Godzilla's radioactive fire-breath, when asked if his 1998 Goszilla would do that. Really, it didn't. There was a bad-breath thing, but not a Godzilla-breath effect.)

Legendary doesn't want Godzilla fans to worry that they plan anything resembling the "Iguana Godzilla" of 1998. Not the case.

Dispelling Internet Rumors

Brian Rogers helped put the official word out on some Internet rumors.  The strongest one concerned a photo of a kind of dragon's head that looked like it could be for the Godzilla movie and is presented in this paragraph.  Rogers said it wasn't for the movie and called Legendary Pictures just to make sure they didn't put out anything his production partners weren't aware of.  It's not Godzilla.

The others concern, first, the number of monsters joining Godzilla.  Rogers confirmed that Godzilla will have a monster villain to battle, and possibility multiple monsters.   Second, he also said Godzilla fighting the U.S. Army, as in the 1998 Godzilla, would not be a part of this 21st Century 3D Godzilla.  (Besides, with America in such a bad deficit situation, could the Army afford to fight Godzilla?)

Finally, at Comic Con 2010, The Legendary Pictures booth featured a film of segments from each of their film and entertainment products, including Godzilla.  But in the case of Godzilla, there was an animated scene that had the viewer looking at a destroyed city (Toyko?) through the eyes of a walking Godzilla, hundreds of feet in the air.  I asked the PR rep if Godzilla was to be animated, and referred to the film clip.  She said yes, but she wasn't sure.

Brian Rogers officially confirmed that was a no. It's going to be live action 3D with Godzilla computer generated, but the film will not be an animated Godzilla.

Godzilla 2012: An Exciting Development

I'm confident Brian Rogers and his partners are going to produce a Godzilla that will reestablish the great beast as King Of All Movie Monsters. If the movie is as good as our conversation, Godzilla will be an unforgettable hit.

Stay tuned.