Godzilla is not only one of the most enduring movie monsters of all time, but really one of the most enduring figures in all of pop culture. America has struggled to bring an effective version of the creature to the big screen, even thoughGareth Edwards' 2014Godzillawas generally well received. It was still met with mixed reviews, and the King of the Monsters got a massive redesign. Well, help in on the way forclassic Godzillafans is the form ofGodzilla: Resurgence.
Many may not know, but the original production company behindGodzilla,Toho, has been working on a new film that will exist outside of the current American version and it is coming out very soon. The trailer has already revealed a very gritty monster film and has shown us a much more classic, but very vicious, Godzilla. Now, thanks to the kaiju fan siteSkreekonk, we have a look at some of the early concept art for the newGodzilla.
The art was done byMahiro Maida, who is a very famous Japanese animation artist and it features a set of two initial concept drawings for the newGodzilla. One of them is a look at the monster from the front and is mostly just a head and neck shot, but it is a very unique and very interesting take. The other is a side shot of the full body, which is very much a classic take on the monster but with a more grizzled, bulky and menacing look. Though these are early concept drawings, it looks like Toho pretty much ran withMaida’s ideas, as this looks a lot like what ultimately ended up in theGodzilla Resurgence trailer.
Toho hasn’t released aGodzilla moviein more than a decade and though they have a deal with Warner Bros. that allows the studio to makeGodzillamovies domestically, Toho are still allowed to make their own sequels in Japan.Godzilla: Resurgencenot only won’t be tied to the new American version, but also will be a reboot of their ownGodzillauniverse. The studio had this to say in a statement back in December of 2014, when they announced they would be making the film.
“This is very good timing after the success of the American version this year: if not now, then when? The licensing contract we have with Legendary places no restrictions on us making domestic versions.”
The concept art that was released is part of a huge 432 page art book that Toho is planning on releasing in August after the film comes out, which will feature concept art, storyboards and everything in-between. You can watch the trailer forGodzilla: Resurgenceand take a look at the concept art below. The film is set for aJuly 29 releasein Japan and will be in limited release elsewhere.
