8th December, 2014
The original Godzilla is set to stomp through Tokyo again in 2016, a Japanese movie production company said Monday, in what will be the creature’s first return to home turf in a decade.
Since the giant lizard first tore through Japan’s capital in 1954, there have been dozens of home-made follow-ups and a few efforts from Hollywood, including Warner Bros’ $160 million incarnation this year.
But the King of Monsters — originally a man in a latex suit — has not been sighted on Japanese shores since 2004, leaving its legions of fans crying out for more fire-breathing destruction, film studio Toho Co. said.
“Receiving earnest requests from Godzilla fans for its revival, we will start production of a brand-new Godzilla, which will hit screens in 2016,” Toho said in a statement.
Toho released “Gojira” — a Japanese portmanteau of “gorilla” and “kujira” (whale) — directed by Ishiro Honda, in November 1954, a few months after Akira Kurosawa’s classic “Seven Samurai”.
The monster movie was a mega-hit, drawing 9.6 million viewers in the days before television sets were commonplace in Japanese households.