Sony and Toho Announce 'Godzilla Resurgence' Video Game Demo for Playstation VR

With this year's Sony E3 conference over and done with, my list entitled "reasons to avoid getting the PSVR headset" is shrinking drastically. Now Sony and Toho have activated their "Wonder Twin" powers to bring us our first Kaiju meets VR experience.

Yesterday, Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia and Toho announced the mouthful of a tentative title 'Shin Godzilla Special Demo Content for Playstation VR.' I scoured both our source and our source's source, but the only gameplay detail I can find is that you will "confront a 118.5 meter tall CG Godzilla." Does that mean you will be fighting Godzilla? With so little to go on right now all we can do is speculate. Though it has been reported that the game will use the exact 3D model from 'Godzilla Resurgence,' which is being supplied by Toho directly.

'Shin Godzilla Special Demo Content for Playstation VR' will be available October 13th, which makes it a launch demo for the PSVR. If you are getting a PSVR day one, make sure you pick up this demo on the Playstation Store as it is currently the only Godzilla content heading to any video game platform in the near future.

Another Distributor Steps Forward To Release 'Godzilla Resurgence' Outside Of Japan

A new trailer for 'Godzilla Resurgence' just dropped, but don't get too excited. As far as I can tell, there isn't any new footage shown and a lot of what we've seen already actually got cut. The trailer is actually out to promote the Chinese release of the film, and we've just got our first news of who will be handling it. Foreign distribution news. Is this what we're supposed to get excited about nowadays with the drought of information that Toho has been greedily keeping to themselves? No, I think there is a larger story to this trailer release than just the back end of a film's business model. Check out the most recent trailer below and my thoughts on why this matters to you seeing 'Godzilla Resurgence' as soon as possible.

Here's the "new" trailer:

Right there at the beginning you can see who will be distributing the film to Chinese audiences: Intercontinental Film Distributers (H.K.) Limited. They've handled some major film distribution for the country that includes: 'Transformers 4,' 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' 'Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation,' 'Terminator: Genesis,' 'The Wind Rises,' 'World War Z,' etc. Their home video distribution arm includes 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' if that helps give you an idea of how massive a company this is and what that means for 'Godzilla Resurgence.' It looks like the film is going to get a wide theatrical release in one of the most important film markets in the world.

Is it starting to make sense why I'm treating this as major news? If Toho has sought out a distributor of this size in the second largest movie market in the world, it is now ridiculous to think that they don't have major plans for an American release. They're not going with a smallish company just to push this into another Asian country and make a quick buck, they accepted the bid of a huge distributor based in an integral region. Legendary's 2014 'Godzilla' was the number one movie when it opened in China and it did great business during it's run. The only place the film did better? Domestically, here in the United States.

I can't imagine a scenario after hearing about this where a major distributor like Sony doesn't pick up the film for an western release at some point. There's no guarantee that we'll get a day and date theater opening with Japanese audiences, but I think we'll see it in theaters and definitely in homes carried by a large company we know and trust. That's a lot more than we could say even yesterday.

Sorry New World Cinemas. 

'Godzilla Resurgence' will release in China on August 25th, 2016.

[Updated] Rumor Control: 'Godzilla: Resurgence' Story Details Leak?

UPDATE: So, the user who originally posted the story came clean on the Toho Kingdom forums and announced that it was made up. We've gotten a lot of flak for posting the rumor to begin with, but I personally love fake rumors like this one when it's obvious that someone put a lot of effort into it. The story they laid out was incredibly interesting and they went the extra mile to include details that sound like they would be plausible coming from the filmmakers involved and their previous works.

Kudos to the user JetJaguarPaunch, and I hope everyone arguing about this can just take a deep breath and enjoy these next few months when we truly don't know anything about Toho's new film and can get this excited about the many possibilities the movie has in store for us. What follows is the confession to making up the rumor posted a few minutes ago on the Toho Kingdom forums and our original article on the rumors.

"So, I think it's time to come clean on a few things. 

A few of you, a very select few, would know me best as Burkion from KaijuPhile/Rodans Roost. I've been a member of Godzilla communities online for most of my life at this point, since 2000. Maybe 1999. 

I have seen a lot of stuff in that time, a lot of rumors and 'leaks' and ideas and just total and complete bullshit across the board. I was contacted by a long time friend of mine, who you all should know as Monster Master, about a supposed 'leaked script' by our good friend LSD Jellyfish. I thought it sounded wrong from the get go, as did he, and we worked together on our own 'leaked script' designed to be maximally accurate to what LSD did, while also pushing the limit on what should have been believable. 

It has proven an overwhelming success, to my dismay, but it also drawn out some interesting things from LSD himself. I'm not saying his script is a lie, or that his sources are lying to him, I honestly Do Not Know myself -but he only brought up the existence of 'Yudas' after we did. That is incredibly suspicious. 

Once upon a time on KP, we had a magical event occur. It was late 2003, and one guy came on with spoilers for EVERYTHING in Final Wars. Absolutely everything. GINO, Minya, Monster X becoming Kaiser Ghidorah- every single thing he knew about. 

We called bullshit on it immediately and gave him utter Hell until the movie actually came out. 

But that was a once in a life time thing, and the moral of this story is- please do not believe everything you read. 

There are a lot of assholes out there who will post blatantly false information just for kicks and giggles. 

Like us."

Take the following information with a huge grain of salt, but we may have just gotten a lot of major story details about 'Godzilla: Resurgence' from a possible script leak. A user on the Toho Kingdom forums (JetJaguarPaunch) regaled everyone with an amazing breakdown of some major secrets in the film that Toho has been trying to desperately hide from audiences. This leak does seem extremely fishy, but there is so much here that makes sense with the information we have on 'Godzilla Resurgence' so far. Keep in mind that what follows is a verbatim transcript and could be considered getting into extreme SPOILER territory, so read at your own peril.

"Okay, after looking through this thread after hearing about it, I find this very interesting. I've also seen the script. LSDJ’s description is very close to what I've seen as well. Before I go, I want to make clear that what I have may not be the final script, and may not even be the same script as he has. I will not give up my source, reveal my true identity (no, I am not an active member on these forums or ever have been), nor will I get into a massive argument about how I got this script and why you should believe me. The movie comes out in a few months, we will see then.

So without further ado, POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD
Spoiler:
First off, KAIJU A –

The script references this monster as very basic in design. I can not verify if what LSDJ said about its creation is true or not. However, from what I gather, the monster isn’t very spectacular. It seems to be a somewhat quadrupled design and a dark olive green in color. The script references it as having a “Arrow-Shaped” head, possibly like a snake’s. If what LSDJ said about its reasons of existence are true, I personally believe they could get away with recycling the GMK Baragon suit for the creature. Godzilla does fight it very early on just as his mutation is setting in. It is not a very long fight, but the monster is referenced as “Alphagon” in the script. I do not know if it is also referenced as such in LSDJ’s copy. During the fight, the monster manages to hit Godzilla’s jaw and something happens, either the jaw is dislocated or gets horribly maimed by its “mole-like forelimbs.” Godzilla is to then release a much different roar than what we’re used to, hinting that he is not in complete control of himself. At this point, Godzilla destroys “Alphagon” with his atomic ray.

Start opening credits which includes news reports on both old atomic bomb testings and the Fukushima disaster.

GODZILLA MUTATED FORM –

As LSDJ said, and as we have all seen, Godzilla is in a highly ravaged form. This is not a result of the Oxygen Destroyer from 1954 or anything of the sort. It is a parasite. The human characters are not aware of this until about half way through the film when, after a fierce battle with the self-defense forces (which utilizes napalm for the first time in the series excluding Megalon), Godzilla’s body slumps forward. His spines begin to separate and a large gash or cut appears down it. While it is described as a “man exiting a suit”, it also gives details on pieces of Godzilla’s flesh falling from it in the process and gives excessive details on Godzilla’s arms flattening out, as if all the bones and muscle are being pulled out of them. Godzilla is left as a skin as the new monster, called Judas, emerges.

This name also keeps in tradition with Anno taking inspiration from Judeo Christian mythology.

At this point, the monster is described as being humanoid with extremely lanky arms and legs. It is said to have a skull-like face. This immediately sounds like the monster Sachiel from Evangelion. It is also said to have large, bulbous red eyes and a pair of wasp-like wings. Its tongue is also long and tends to dangle from its mouth and is tipped with a pair of snapping jaws. Think Alien. The flesh is said to be black and “wet”. I imagine it’ll be a lot like a salamander or a frog’s skin.

At this point in the movie, Judas is standing within the remains of Godzilla and the self-defense forces have no idea what just happened. Judas flies into the air and one of the characters, which has had a due amount of time making it clear she is not religious, looks up and makes the statement “It looks like an angel.”

From a tonal standpoint, the movie completely shifts. The film starts to feel and act more like a traditional Godzilla versus a monster movie. Judas is now the focus and engages the military in much faster paced combat and dog battles over Japan. At the same time, Godzilla is regenerating. By the time he has recovered, most of the self-defense forces are gone and America is debating whether to deliver a nuclear strike to Judas (it plays a lot like a homage to the 1984 film, the first film Shinji Higuchi worked on for Toho), despite the Prime Minister’s objection. Godzilla returns to life and is on a warpath directly for Judas who is now in the heart of Tokyo. The Americans try a military blockade with several lines of tanks and ground-to-ground missile launchers. Unlike other movies where Godzilla stomps and blasts them, he now walks through the attacks not even paying attention. After numerous failed blockades, the commander simply orders “Everyone and everything, get out of his way.”

It should be noted that the script now calls for this Godzilla to “look more like the original”, so he won’t have the mangled look he had before. He is now black with his spines being bone white. From what it reads as, he seems to be a design cross of 1954 and the Heisei Godzilla.

When Godzilla reaches Judas in Tokyo, the new monster spots him and tries to run away. Keeping with what LSDJ has said about Godzilla using his tail more than his beam, he swats it out of the sky and breaks one of its wings. Judas falls and Godzilla begins a lengthy battle against it in which this Godzilla displays a much different fighting style, thanks to his long tail. Near the end of the fight, Godzilla begins to stomp the back of Judas’ head into the ground repeatedly. After several stomps, its entire body is stated to “disintegrate into a black mass of spider-like creatures.” This swarm of what I presume are babies (like how a spider can explode into a bunch of babies once hit) begin to swarm Godzilla and the surrounding area. Godzilla’s flesh begins to change like it did before, implying that whatever Judas did to Godzilla originally, it is doing it again.

The disintegrating Judas could be a reference to actual babies as a way to propagate itself or something like Destroyer breaking down into its smaller forms. We never see these before this scene happens.

At this point, the UNITED STATES decide to use a miniature nuclear weapon on Godzilla and Judas with or without Japan’s approval in order to secure the safety of the rest of the country and the world. The Japanese government only agrees with this if they’re allowed to rebuild their military power (also keeping with LSDJ’s sentiments of this being a key issue) so that they can take future matters into their own hands, monsters or otherwise. The strike hits Tokyo and seems to kill Godzilla and Judas, along with destroying all of Tokyo in the process.

At this point, just before the movie ends, one of the characters is seen with documents concerning Alphagon, Judas, and Godzilla. The character closes a blue and white folder which has an “M” marked in the corner. Hinting that it could take part in the same timeline as Legendary’s Godzilla.

I can't confirm nor deny if Judas is suppose to be suitmation or CGI. The same goes for Alphagon, but I will not be surprised if Alphagon is a modified GMK Baragon suit, also coming from a movie that Shinji Higuchi worked on, tying it together with the earlier Return of Godzilla allusions.

Take all of this as you will. I can not confirm if the script I have and translated is the final one or what, if anything has changed. If mine is an earlier, or later, iteration of LSDJ's, I wouldn't know. They are extremely similar however. We will just have to wait and find out until the movie comes in July."

I love this breakdown so much that I think I will be almost disappointed in the film if none of this is true. Godzilla's design oddities and how stiffly he moves make a lot more sense if the whole thing is a play on the creature himself being a meat suit for this new creature, "Judas." What really caught my eye, is that this seems like a Godzilla film that Hideaki Anno would make. This story (if true) would also kind of make the weird Godzilla Vs Evangelion marketing make more sense in retrospect, with "Judas" seemingly taking a lot of design elements from the "Angels" of the Evangelion series. I have wanted a new solo Godzilla outing for a very long time, but this movie's story and plot progression have eluded my senses for so long that I would be perfectly happy if this becomes a versus film in the last act. Also, this story possibly taking place in the Legendary Godzillaverse is intriguing, but I'm gonna bet that is just wishful thinking and the scene will probably be cut from the final film.

A little validity can be found for this leak if you look hard enough. The first revealed toy information from Resurgence actually listed two mysterious products called "Kaiju A" and "Kaiju B" respectively, as "coming soon." Could these two toys be "Alphagon" and "Judas?" Also, remember the potential leak during the production of this film that Godzilla would have "multiple forms" over the course of the movie? Toho came out and denied the rumor that he would be regenerating into a fully-fleshed Godzilla, but they technically never denied the multiple forms angle. Also, they seem to want to keep this incredibly secret, so wouldn't they just deny that anyway?

Maybe this leaked script is real... maybe it's not. Regardless, this makes me a lot more excited for the film itself, since it is quite possible that the trailers have only shown us a glimpse of what truly is going on in this reboot.

Is This Really The Company Handling The American Release Of 'Godzilla: Resurgence?'

This week, film distributer New World Cinemas spoke for the first time about their supposed 'Godzilla: Resurgence' U.S. distribution on their Facebook page. While we have previously reported that New World Cinemas would be taking the reins on the American release of the film, I'm starting to have some doubts that an unknown distributor would be given the reigns to a reinvigorated franchise the size of Godzilla. I have a bit of evidence (or lack thereof) that may shine some light on this bizarre turn of events.

The above mentioned Facebook post stated the following:

“To all GODZILLA FANS! We are working hard to bring GODZILLA to every State! Patience my Friends... she is coming soon!”

Looking at the post from a purely innocent standpoint, this seems to be great news. Fans have been plastering their Facebook and Twitter with questions pretty consistently since their name showed up on the film's IMDB page. Their website has also had a strange "coming soon" page listing a 2017 release for a DVD of the film for over a month now. The Facebook post is the first real comment they have made about the film's release, other than a couple images of text that say in very broken English:

“Godzilla “The King of the Monsters’ is back in a new film “Godzilla: Resurgence.” Going back yo his roots, The Toho Company and co-drectors Hideaki and Shinji Higuchi have designed Godzilla to be more menacing and destructive. THE FILMS OPENS IN JAPAN JULY 29 2016 and will be distributed in the USA through NEW WORLD CINEMAS some time after that.”

I did not edit that paragraph in any way and you can clearly see that on both their official site and their Facebook page they come off as incredibly unprofessional. Toho has yet to officially make any sort of statement announcing an international release of the film and has made no mention of the film being distributed by New World Cinemas or anyone else for that matter. 

This all just seems extremely suspicious to me. In the last thirty years, Toho has distributed the Godzilla films in the United States using major companies like Sony (Late Heisei and the Millenium films including 'Godzilla: Final Wars')  and HBO/Miramax ('Godzilla vs Biollante'). Heck, even 'Godzilla 1985' was distributed by a company called New World Pictures (no relation to New World Cinemas) that had worked as a distributor on major films running all the way back to the 60's. Big companies are interested in distributing Godzilla films because they usually make decent money in DVD sales with barely any cost to the studio.

We know there was a marketing expo back in January/February that was showing off the concept of the film for a potential international distributor. There have also been rumors floating around that Warner Bros. were given first dibs due to their ongoing relationship with the American Godzilla sequels. If a big studio like Warner Bros. were given the opportunity to distribute, how did this tiny company that mostly distributes bottom-rung independent films win out the bid? Godzilla has become a house-hold name again due to the generally well received American movie from 2014 and has made a new audience interested in the G-man for the first time. It doesn't make any sense that none of the studios who worked with them before (especially Sony who seems to have an excellent relationship with them distribution wise) wouldn't want to capitalize on Godzilla 2014's popularity. In the modern distribution landscape, this situation looks like dollar signs, even without considering a theatrical release for 'Godzilla: Resurgence'.

Another suspicious item to note is the New World Cinemas official Twitter, which is plastered with political propaganda for the upcoming american presidential election. This official company Twitter page for the company reads more like a personal account and definitely does not exude any semblance of professionalism. Toho has always seemed like a corporation that prides themselves on being very straight laced and polished. Why would they allow their most iconic property to be handled by this strange company? 

I'm not going to call out New World Cinemas for outright lying to us just yet, but this whole situation seems extremely odd. I also worry about this company being in charge of subtitling and/or dubbing the film with their lack of integrity regarding the release and how they run their business. Many individuals and companies have tried to contact them for screening information and outside of confirming that they are in fact handling the distribution of the film to one fan that reached out, they have ceased responding to even professional inquiries. 

I'm sure we will find out more in the coming months, but for now call me a skeptic with this being how the U.S. distribution of the film will move forward. You can see New World Cinemas IMDB page here if you want to look into the other films they have previously distributed.

Am I looking into this too much? Do you think they really are the distributors of 'Godzilla: Resurgence'?