Gareth Edwards and Legendary Pictures made headlines with their re-imagined Godzilla last year. Similar to the Japanese version of the character yet still distinct, one of the biggest changes the American movie made was to Godzilla's size. The 2014 American film featured the largest Godzilla ever seen on film, clocking in at around 355 feet tall.
Now, new plot details for the first Japanese Godzilla film in more than a decade have been released, and it looks like America's Godzilla won't be king of the monsters for long. According to the official site for the new Godzilla film (via translation by Anime News Network), movie studio Toho promises its new version of Godzilla will be the largest yet.
That's not all Toho has revealed. It also revealed the film's official title as well as a few key plot details. The 29th Japanese Godzilla film will be titled Shin Gojira (or Shin Godzilla), with "Shin" holding a number of potential meanings. While it could translate to "New" Godzilla, it can also be read as "True" or "God" Godzilla.
The film will be set mostly in Japan but will also involve the United States, as the two countries look to combat a rampaging Godzilla. Special effects director Shinji Higuchi (who has recently completed his work on the live-action Attack on Titan films) says this new Godzilla film will be "the scariest yet," according to the Anime News Network translation.
It will look to real world events like 9/11, tsunamis and the recent Fukushima nuclear crisis as sources of inspiration. Actor Yutaka Takenouchi said he thinks the film has a "deep message not only to all the numerous fans, but also to the hearts of audiences worldwide and to society."
So far, there is no word on what exactly Godzilla will look like this go-around, aside from the fact that he will be the largest ever seen. The character has changed numerous times over the decades, so it will be interesting to see what Toho comes up with in the wake of Hollywood's Godzilla.
We also don't yet know if Godzilla will face off against another massive beast. There have only been two Godzilla films (out of the 28 Japanese entries) in which Godzilla hasn't battled it out with one, two or even three additional monsters — so it seems like a safe bet that a kaiju throwdown will be included in this new film.
More details will no doubt come soon. The movie started filming in August, with a Japanese release date set for the summer of 2016.
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