Godzilla is a 1998 American monster film directed by Roland Emmerich, who co-wrote the screenplay with producer Dean Devlin. It is a reboot of Toho Co., Ltd.'s Godzilla franchise and the 23rd film in the franchise. The film stars Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn, Michael Lerner, and Harry Shearer. The film is dedicated to Tomoyuki Tanaka, the co-creator and producer of various Godzilla films, who died in April 1997. In the film, authorities investigate and battle a giant monster, known as Godzilla, who migrates to New York City to nest its young.
In October 1992, TriStar Pictures announced plans to produce a trilogy of Godzilla films. In May 1993, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were hired to write the script. In July 1994, Jan de Bont was announced as the director but left the project that December due to budget disputes. Emmerich was hired in May 1996 to direct and co-write a new script with Devlin. Principal photography began in May 1997 and ended in September 1997.
Godzilla premiered at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on May 18, 1998, and was released in the United States on May 20 by TriStar Pictures. The film received negative reviews from critics and grossed $379 million worldwide against a production budget between $130–150 million and marketing costs of $80 million, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 1998. Despite turning a profit, it was considered a box office disappointment. Planned sequels were cancelled, but an animated series was produced instead. TriStar let their remake/sequel rights expire on May 20, 2003.
In 2004, a new iteration of TriStar's Godzilla was featured in Toho's 2004 film Godzilla: Final Wars as "Zilla". That version has since appeared in various media under the "Zilla" trademark, but with the variants from the 1998 film and its animated sequel retaining the Godzilla copyright and trademark.
Plot An iguana nest is exposed to the fallout of a military nuclear test in French Polynesia. Years later, a Japanese cannery vessel in the South Pacific is attacked by an unknown giant creature, with one fisherman surviving. Recovering in a hospital in Tahiti, the traumatized survivor is visited and questioned by a mysterious Frenchman. The survivor repeatedly replies "Gojira".
NRC scientist Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos is researching the effects of radiation on wildlife in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, when he is interrupted by an official from the U.S. State Department. Nick is reassigned and sent to Panama and Jamaica to help the U.S. military investigate the destructive trail left by the creature. Nick identifies skin samples he discovered from a shipwreck as belonging to an unknown species. He dismisses the military's theory of the creature being a lost dinosaur, instead deducing it is a mutant created by nuclear testing in French Polynesia.
The creature drowns several fishing trawlers in the Eastern American Seaboard, and makes landfall in New York City, leaving a path of destruction. A city wide evacuation follows. On Nick's advice, the military set a trap with a large pile of fish to lure the creature into revealing itself. Their first attempt to kill the creature fails due to its enormous size and agility, causing further damage to the city before it escapes. Nick collects a blood sample and performs a pregnancy test, discovering that the creature reproduces asexually, and is about to lay eggs. Nick also meets up with his ex-girlfriend Audrey Timmonds, a young aspiring news reporter. Unnoticed by Nick, she uncovers a classified tape in his provisional tent concerning the monster's origins. She steals the tape, and turns it over to the media with the hope of launching her career. Her superior, Charles Caiman, steals her report, and dubs the creature "Godzilla".
Due to the tape's disclosure, Nick is removed from the operation, and he ends his relationship with Audrey. Nick's taxi is hijacked by the mysterious Frenchman, who identifies himself as Philippe Roaché, a French secret service agent. Audrey's friend and cameraman Victor "Animal" Palotti follows Nick's taxi to a warehouse, and eavesdrops on them. Philippe explains that he and his colleagues have been closely watching the events to cover up their country's role in the nuclear testing that created Godzilla. They suspect a nest somewhere in the city, cooperating with Nick to trace and destroy it. A guilt-ridden Audrey agrees to join Animal in following Nick and the Frenchmen, hoping to set things right with Nick. Godzilla resurfaces, and evades a second military strike. After diving into the Hudson River, it is attacked by Navy submarines. Godzilla sinks to the river bed, and is believed to be dead by the authorities.
Meanwhile, Nick and Philippe's team, followed by Audrey and Animal, find the nest inside Madison Square Garden. The eggs begin to hatch, and the emerging offsprings attack everyone on sight as they carry the scent of fish. Nick, Animal, Audrey, and Philippe take refuge in the Garden's broadcast booth, and successfully send a live news coverage to alert the military of the offsprings presence. A prompt airstrike is launched as the four escape moments, before the Air Force bomb the arena.
Audrey and Nick reconcile before Godzilla emerges from the Garden's ruins, having survived the submarine attack. Enraged by the deaths of its young, it chases them across Manhattan. They manage to trap Godzilla within the suspension cables of the Brooklyn Bridge, allowing the returning jets to strike it down with missiles. Godzilla collapses and dies from its wounds, while the citizens and authorities celebrate its defeat. Having sabotaged her career, Audrey quits working for Caiman before leaving with Nick and Animal. Philippe slips away with Animal's tape, and promises to return it after removing the specific contents. He thanks Nick for his help, and parts ways.
In the ruins of Madison Square Garden, a single egg hatches. The hatchling roars to life, foreshadowing the continuation of Godzilla's lineage.
Cast
Production Development
American film producer and distributor Henry G. Saperstein (who had co-produced and distributed past Godzilla films for the American market through his studio UPA) received permission from Toho Co., Ltd. (the owners of the Godzilla franchise) to pitch a new Godzilla film to Hollywood studios, stating, "For ten years I pressured Toho to make one in America. Finally they agreed." Saperstein initially met with Sony Pictures producers Cary Woods and Robert N. Fried for discussions regarding a live-action Mr. Magoo film but the discussions led to the availability of the rights to Godzilla.
Interested, Woods and Fried proposed the idea to Columbia Pictures (which had previously handled the North American release of Toho's Mothra), but were initially rejected. Woods stated, "We pitched the idea to Columbia and they passed outright. Their response was they felt it had the potential for camp". The two also tried to pitch the idea to TriStar Pictures but were also shot down, Fried stated, "TriStar did originally pass on the project. The people who were running the studio at that particular time may not have seen commercial potential there, may not have thought that it would make a great film."
Taking advice from his wife, Woods instead went over the executives' heads and proposed the idea to Peter Guber, the then-chairman of the board and CEO of Sony Pictures. Guber became enthusiastic about the idea, seeing Godzilla as an "international brand" and set the film up at TriStar. Woods recalled, "Peter got it; he saw the movie in his head. He was like, 'Godzilla, the fire-breathing monster?! Yesss!'" TriStar vice-chairman Ken Lemberger was sent to Tokyo to oversee the deal in obtaining the Godzilla rights from Toho in mid-1992. Sony's initial offer included a $300,000–400,000 advance payment with an annual licensing fee for the Godzilla character, as well as production bonuses, exclusive distribution and merchandising rights for Japan, a profit percentage from international ticket sales and merchandising, usage rights to some of the monsters from the first 15 Godzilla films, and allow Toho to continue producing domestic Godzilla films while TriStar developed their film. Subsequently, Toho sent Sony a document of rules on how to treat Godzilla. Robert Fried stated, "They even sent me a four-page, single-spaced memo describing the physical requirements the Godzilla in our film had to have. They're very protective."
In October 1992, TriStar formally announced their acquisition of the rights to Godzilla from Toho to produce a trilogy of Godzilla films, with the promise of "remaining true to the original series—cautioning against nuclear weapons and runaway technology." After TriStar's announcement, many of the original Godzilla filmmakers expressed support for the film; Haruo Nakajima (who portrayed Godzilla from 1954 to 1972) stated, "I'm pleased. I hope that a competition will spring up between Toho and TriStar,"Haruo Nakajima Interview, Davud Milner, Cult Movies #17 (1996) Koichi Kawakita (special effects director of the Heisei Godzilla films) stated, "I have great expectations. I'm looking forward to seeing it, not only because I direct special effects for Godzilla films but also because I am a movie fan,"Koichi Kawakita Interview, David Milner, Cult Movies #14 (1994) Teruyoshi Nakano (special effects director of the late Showa Godzilla films) stated, "I'm pleased that a new approach will be taken",Teruyoshi Nakano Interview, David Milner, Cult Movies #12 (1994) and Ishirō Honda (director of various Showa Godzilla films) stated, "It will probably be much more interesting than the ones [currently] being produced in Japan."Ishiro Honda Interview, David Milner, Cult Movies #9 (1993)
In 1994, Jan de Bont became attached to direct and began pre-production on the film for a 1996 summer release. De Bont's Godzilla would have discarded the character's atomic origin and replaced it with one wherein Godzilla is an artificial creation constructed by Atlantians to defend humanity against a shape-shifting extraterrestrial monster called "The Gryphon".Gonzalez, Francisco (June 8, 2011). The Three American Godzilla Films , The Film Connoisseur. Stan Winston and his company were employed to do the effects for the film. Winston crafted sculptures of Godzilla and The Gryphon. De Bont later left the project in December 1994 after TriStar refused to approve his budget of $100–120 million. He would later go on to direct Twister and Speed 2: Cruise Control. Clive Barker and Tim Burton were also in talks to potentially direct.
Elliott and Rossio script In May 1993, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were hired to write the screenplay. Prior to their hiring, Elliott and Rossio were searching for their next project and were offered Godzilla by their advisor Cary Woods. The duo initially declined the offer several times, Elliott recalled, "We actually turned the project down about two or three times because we weren't sure we knew what to do with it." Woods eventually convinced them to discuss the project with TriStar. Elliott and Rossio wrote a three and half-page story outline that secured their employment. Rossio believes that they were offered the project due to their experience in writing "franchise-type titles." Robert Fried expressed support for Elliott and Rossio, praising them as "talented sci-fi buffs" and stating, "We've put a lot of time, thought and finance into the screenplay." Toho's character restrictions helped inspire Elliott and Rossio in finding the tone of the script, Elliott stated, "Toho insisted we not make light of the monster. That helped us find the right tone as well as the social and political implications."