Godzilla Panel (+ Man of Steel 2) [Comic-Con 2013]
It’s a gutsy move to remake one of the most legendary films. That doesn’t ever stop Hollywood, though, and come next year we’ll have another version of Godzilla. Even though it comes out early next year, we haven’t seen or heard too much about the film up to the this point (other than the people involved). Comic-Con 2013 was a great chance, and we did get some actual footage. However, Bryan Cranston stole the show with his humor in a panel that included director Gareth Edwards, and actors Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and the aforementionedd Cranston.
Coming fresh off the wrap (2 days before), Godzilla is officially in post-production. A “mood piece” was introduced for crowds last year at Comic-Con. This year, they took it a step further. It still wasn’t a full-blown trailer, but the teaser adequately showed the breadth of the giant creature. It was kind of funny because there was a couple shots of other monsters that were big, but nothing earth-shattering. Then Godzilla’s massive leg fill the background and the scale of the monster was hair-raising. With Pacific Rim’s size/scale as a precedent, I think Godzilla could match that.
Director Gareth Edwards had plenty to say about the process, the expectations, and the execution.
He categorized movies as either passion projects, artistic movies, or blockbusters. To him, Godzilla is a combination of all three of these. He likes to think it’s artistic first. There obviously is CGI in the film, but I was impressed with the little I saw. Like I said, Pacific Rim showed it can be done correctly, so there’s hope.
As for expectations, remaking a classic film has its drawbacks. He told a funny anecdote about two immigrations officers that figured out he was the director of the remake and told him not to eff it up (in different terms). He’s embraced the pressure and tried to relieve the crowd by making it sound just as important to him.
Lastly, Edwards talked about the smoothness of the filming process and whether he liked the execution. Of course he was going to answer the softball question by saying he was able to execute his plans. He also had all the support he could ask for from the studio.
Personally, my favorite part of the panel included anything and everything Bryan Cranston. In the teaser I loved seeing him donning a Heisenberg-like hazmat suit. When he appeared on stage, plenty of audience members were confessing their love for Heisenberg, The King, Walter White, and some even threw Hal (from Malcolm in the Middle) into the mix. He tried to keep it related directly to Godzilla even going as far to impersonate the beast. He also made a reference to a certain part of his body as the real Godzilla.
Godzilla had a pretty strong showing in my opinion. Sure, there wasn’t a lot of footage, but how can you not like a good ol’ monster movie? Especially when it’s Godzilla we’re talking about? Bryan Cranston was the highlight of the panel, while Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson had less to talk about. However, with such a short amount of time, they did about the best they could do! Expect more on Godzilla by the end of the year and into 2014.
Studio: Legendary
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe
Release Date: May 16, 2014
That’s not it, though. At the end of Warner Brothers’ panel, Zack Snyder was introduced on stage and he stumbled around trying to hint what was coming next. With the help of Harry Lennix (Man of Steel), they gave major hints about Man of Steel 2. Lennix read this quote the The Dark Knight Returns (by Frank Miller):
“I want you to remember, Clark. In all the years to come. In all your most private moments. I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you.”
A Superman logo appeared behind him and a bat-symbol faded in behind it. The crowd went absolutely nuts with the idea of Batman and Superman facing off. I’m not sure about the who, what, when, or why of the story, but it does look like Batman will be back!
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