Godzilla’s Gareth Edwards On Monsters, Sequels, And A Pacific Rim Crossover
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Godzilla fans got a bit of face(book) time with director Gareth Edwards this past Tuesday when he participated in a Q&A session on the film’s official Facebook page. The folks at Scified sifted through the 1700+ comments and pulled out the highlights, which include insights into Edwards’ favorite moments from the franchise, whether the new film will include upgraded versions of any other classic Toho monsters, and who would win in a Godzilla/Pacific Rim crossover.
One of the biggest questions at this point is what other monsters Godzilla might be squaring off against on the big screen. The trailers and Edwards’ earlier comments have confirmed that the Big Guy won’t be the only critter wreaking havoc in the reboot, but what remained a mystery is whether any of the secret monsters were updated versions of the Toho creatures. If you were hoping to see 21st century incarnations of Mothra or Rodan, don’t hold your breath — at least not for this film. When asked about other Toho monster appearances in Godzilla, Edwards said, “The creatures are original to this film but very much inspired by Toho (there are some Easter eggs for fans).” You can click here to read a description of one of the creatures that was revealed in footage screened at SXSW recently.
With a franchise as venerable as Godzilla, the fans were naturally curious about whether Edwards has always been a fan of the movies. He cites the original 1954 film as his favorite (it also screened at SXSW), but revealed that his earliest exposure to Godzilla was actually the Hanna-Barbera cartoons which ran in the late ’70s. “Then later we had ‘creature features’ on TV in the UK,” explained Edwards, “so I’d spend my Friday nights staying in and being a sad geek.”
He also revealed which of the “Godzilla vs.” movies was his favorite: 1971’s Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster. “Mr. Yoshimitsu Banno, the director … became a good friend during the making of Godzilla,” says Edwards. “He was also the assistant director to Akira Kurosawa and had a million fantastic stories to tell.”
After Pacific Rim set the bar for modern giant-monster action this past summer, it was only a matter of time until somebody asked Edwards about the prospect of a Pac Rim/Godzilla crossover. The two films have very different approaches to their similar subject matter, so that’ll likely remain only a subject for fan fiction. Besides, as Edwards points out, then he’d have to fight Rim director Guillermo del Toro to decide who would direct the movie. “He would kick my ass,” joked Edwards. He did have another crossover in mind, though. “I’d like to see Godzilla fight the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters because after he destroys him, it would be toasted marshmallows for everyone.” Now if we can just find a giant monster made out of chocolate and graham crackers…
Finally, Edwards definitely sounded amenable to directing more Godzilla films if this new one is a success. “There were so many great ideas that we just couldn’t fit into one movie. I guess that’s why God created sequels.”
Godzilla hits theaters on May 16.
