In this section you'll find out all about what's new in the world of kaiju from film to video games and beyond!

Click the above images for information on Godzilla 3D!

09/19/08 - Interview on Sci-Fi Japan: Bringing Godzilla Down to Size!

From Sci-Fi Japan:

SciFi Japan has a new article up by my bud John "Dutch" DeSentis, who did an interview with Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle about the making of the documentary BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE. Ed and Steve go into detail about the origins and production of the documentary and the article also features several behind-the-scenes photos as well as shots that were not used in the final version of the documentary. Check it out at Sci-Fi Japan.com.

09/08/08 - Review of Monster X Strikes Back!

From Sci-Fi Japan:

SciFi Japan has a new article up featuring Ed Godziszewski's review of the new Guilala movie MONSTER X STRIKES BACK/ ATTACK THE G8 SUMMIT. The article also includes movie stills, theater photos, and pics of Guilala goods and collectibles. Check it out at Sci-Fi Japan.com.

8/18/08 - G: New Independent Kaiju Film from Japan!

From Sci-Fi Japan:

SciFi Japan has an older article up about a new kaiju production entitled simply "G". Check out the full article at Sci-Fi Japan.com.

8/11/08 - RODAN and WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS Cover Art and DVD News

From Sci-Fi Japan:

SciFi Japan has information and a first look at the front and back cover art for Classic Media's upcoming RODAN and WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS DVD set. The collection features Japanese and U.S. versions for both films plus the new documentary BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE. Check out the full article at Sci-Fi Japan.com.

8/8/08 - TYO buys out Tsuburaya Productions

From Variety Business News & Ken Napper:

TV powerhouse TYO is taking over Tsuburaya Prods., best known for its classic "Ultraman" TV series and pics, the companies announced Wednesday. TYO intends to restructure the 44-year-old Tsuburaya, which has fallen into critical condition after long years of ineffective family management, exacerbated by rising production costs.

The complicated buyout will begin next month via a share sale and swap that will see TYO acquire an 80% stake in Tsuburaya Enterprises, which in turn will own 68% of Tsuburaya Prods.

Tsuburaya Prods.' board will resign, with the exception of prexy and chairman Kazuo Tsuburaya, and TYO will appoint replacements, beginning with TYO prexy Hiroaki Yoshida.

Founded by special-effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya in 1963, shingle produced many classic tokusatsu (live-action f/x) shows for TV, most famously "Ultraman" and its many spinoffs about the alien warrior who protects the Earth from space monsters.

The TBS network will celebrate "Ultraman's" 40th anniversary by broadcasting a new show featuring the latex-suited hero in October.

4/2/08 - Haruo Nakajima Returns to G-Fext!

From Armand's Corner of the Net:

The original Godzilla suit-actor, Haruo Nakajima, returns to G-Fest this summer in Chicago for G-Fest XV. Nakajima was the man in the Godzilla suit from 1954 to 1972. His last Godzilla movie was Godzilla vs. Gigan, which will be screened on July 3rd at the Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge, Illinois. He will be joined by Don Frye, who was the captain of the Gotengo in Godzilla Final Wars (2004) and Robert Scott Field, M-11 in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991). This will be Nakajima's first G-FEST since G-FEST 2000 in Los Angeles. As he is now 79, this is likely his last North American convention appearance. Nakajima will also receive the Mangled Skyscraper Award for 2008. Don't miss this show!

For more information on G-FEST XV, check out my G-Fest section or visit G-Fan.com.

2/1/08 - Guilala Returns!

From SciFi Japan:

Great News! After more than 40 years since his debut in the "X From Outer Space," Guilala will return in the new feature film "GUILALA'S COUNTER ATTACK" this fall from director Minoru Kawasaki. For more information check out this SCIFI JAPAN link!

1/22/08 - Cloverfield Breaks January Box Office Record

From the Monsterzero.org & Mark Obert:
Cloverfield, the new monster film from Paramount, killed at the box office this weekend sporting the best January opening in history with a $41 million weekend. Coming in a distant second was Katherine Heigl's 27 Dresses with $22.4 million. I have not seen it yet, but the reviews have been mixed. Go check it out for yourself and see if you like it. Will it restart the kaiju/giant monster film genre? Talk about it in the MonsterZero & Kaiju Kingdom forums!

11/15/07 - Even More New Godzilla: Unleashed Characters!

This comes from IGN.com. The other day several new kaiju were revealed for the Wii version of "Godzilla: Unleashed". They are MOGERA, Varan, MechaGodzilla (Heisei), Godzilla (Heisei), SpaceGodzilla, and GODZILLA 1954!!! Check out the Godzilla: Unleashed area linked to above to view a screenshot of Godzilla 1954 as well. Stay tuned for more updates!

11/15/07 - Cloverfield

I posted a link at the top of this page with all the information I could find on the upcoming American giant monster film code-named: "Cloverfield". Please check it out, all information comes from Wikipedia.com and IMDB.com!

8/27/07 - More New Godzilla: Unleashed Characters!

This comes from the Monsterzero.org message boards. Turns out that over this past weekend an expo was held at the Washington State convention center. It was called the Penny Arcade Expo, and both Atari and Production nine were there displaying "Godzilla: Unleashed" for the Nintendo Wii. They were allowing fans to view and play the game, but they also, via the games multiplayer / versus mode monster selection screen, revealed more playable kaiju that are to be included in the game. These kaiju are MechaGodzilla (Showa), MechaGodzilla (Heisei), Jet Jaguar, MOGERA, Oruga, and Baragon. The game will also contain a customization feature, which players will be able to use to manipulate anything the game allows you to, including the speed of the kaiju. Also, a legal notice was featured either at the expo or in the game itself, which displayed copyright logos, a listing of the kaiju appearing in the game as of now. This list included even more kaiju that will be in the game, whether they are playable or unplayable is unknown, but they are: Biollante, SpaceGodzilla, Battra, Megaguirus, Mecha-King Ghidorah, Titanosaurus, and Varan! That’s all for now, but stay tuned for more updates!

8/8/07 - New Godzilla: Unleashed Character

Just a quick update on the characters for "Godzilla: Unleashed". Rodan, in Heisei form, was revealed to be included as a playable character in the game via a glimpse of him in the Seattle stage walk-through featured on Gametrailers.com. Stay tuned for more updates!

7/30/07 - More Godzilla: Unleashed Tidbits

Some more small tidbits of news on Pipeworks upcoming game, "Godzilla: Unleashed". Three new monsters have been revealed for the game. They include Mothra Larva/Adult (a GMM/GMK Hybrid), Destroyah, and Krystalak (now confirmed). Mothra is part of the Earth Defenders faction, while Destroyah and Krystalak are part of the Mutants faction. Also, here is the new kaiju, Krystalak's, backstory from IGN.com. "Krystalak is a semi-sentient crystal organism, spawned by the same meteor shower that threatens to rip the earth apart. Born from the crystals, Krystalak seeks to bring all of their energies together to make himself into the ultimate monster. Like the crystals that spawned him, Krystalak is quite resistant to most forms of energy weapons, forcing opponents to fight him tooth & claw. Krystalak can expel crystal shards in a solid stream, bludgeoning foes from a distance. Krystalak can also overload his crystal heart - sacrificing his own physical integrity to damage everything nearby. With no ties to any existing alien or terrestrial powers, Krystalak seeks power at any cost." To view a picture of Krystalak, check out the screenshots on the bottom of the "Godzilla: Unleashed" page.

7/16/07 - Godzilla: Unleashed Tidbits

Just some small tidbits of news on Pipeworks upcoming game, "Godzilla: Unleashed". Sydney, Austraila, has been confirmed as a new city stage in the game and the game has another multiplayer mode called "last monster standing", which is pretty much self explanitory. Also, the Pipework's created kaiju Magmouth has been renamed Obsidius and Pipeworks has announced another new kaiju creation for the game called Krystalak. Not much is known about this new kaiju, other than that it is part of the Alien Invaders faction.

7/10/07 - R.I.P. Jerry Ito: 1927 - 2007

From August Ragone:
Kaiju-genre actor and entertainer, Jerry Ito, passed away from complications of stomach cancer, he was 79. He is survived by his wife.

Mr. Ito was born in New York City, and after World War 2 was a popular and well-known entertainer and Master of Ceremonies in the nightclubs and cabarets of post-war Tokyo. Because of his command of Japanese and English, Mr. Ito was tapped for a number of acting roles on television and feature films. His best-remembered--and most beloved--role was that of the vile Clark Nelson, the dispicable international treasure-hunter, who snatches the Twin Faeries from Infant Island in Ishiro Honda's MOTHRA (1961). Mr. Ito's other fantastic film roles included THE MANSTER (shot in the late 1950s, but not released until the early 1960s), a US horror potboiler filmed in Japan, and Shuei Matsubayashi's end-of-the-world thriller, THE LAST WAR (1961). Mr. Ito also appeared in numerous television series over his long career, and he will be greatly missed.

7/10/07 - Cloverfield: U.S.'s Next Kaiju Film?

From MonsterZero.org:
A trailer shown during the movie Transformers has sparked the interest of many kaiju fans across the U.S. It's a brief trailer from Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot that runs shortly before the film begins. Viewed through the lenses of camera phones, we see a group of friends throwing a going away party. Things grind to a sudden halt when the building shakes and the party runs up to the roof, where they see a gigantic fireball raining debris down on New York City, and hear a bellowing roar. Cut then to the street, as people are fleeing and someone is heard to say Yes, I saw it. It's Huge! Then more people fleeing and confusion, when suddenly a large object flies in and impacts hard into the street. It's the head of the Statue of Liberty, and people can be heard screaming Oh my God!. Cut to black, and we then are shown the credit From J.J. Abrams and a release date of 1/18/08.

Nothing else is officially known, except that this is a very top secret project made under the codename Cloverfield, and that is being produced by J.J Abrams. It was greenlighted by Paramount back in February, the same time he signed on to direct the next Star Trek film. All Abrams has publically revealed is that it involves a large monster, and it will shot in the handheld camera style of Blair Witch, to give the film a more realistic air. There is a website www.1-18-08.com, which only show two timestamped pictures. One of some partygoers enjoying some drinks, and another that could possibly reveal a clue about the monster (for right now, know only as The Parasite). The second picture shows the faces of two frightened women--but between their faces there seems to be a glimpse of a reptilian creature.

Although Paramount denies it, the film is believed to be lensing now in New York, under the direction of Matt Reeves. The script is being written by Drew Goddard, and the cast is rumored to be Mike Vogel, Lizzie Caplan, Odette Yustman, and Michael Stahl-David. Industrial Light and Magic is said to be handling the special effects duties, and Cloverfield will have a budget of $30 million.

7/9/07 - A Rundown of Godzilla: Unleashed!

A bit of old news from Monsterzero.org and the Atari Godzilla Site. As you all know by now, Atari and Pipeworks will be releasing a new Godzilla game for the Nintendo Wii this Fall. Here is a rundown of the game information thus far. Also, you can click on the link above for "Godzilla: Unleashed" to view its own section and some screen captures from IGN. Check back soon for more information as it is released!

The game has a release date set for late Fall 2007 (possibly November 20), just in time for the holiday season.
It’s for the Wii (for the time being), has four players, featured kaiju at this time are Godzilla (Millennium), Gotengo (GFW), MechaGodzilla (Millennium), Gigan (GFW), Megalon, Anguirus (Showa), King Seesar (GFW/Showa hybrid), King Ghidorah (GMK/Showa hybrid), Magmouth (created for the game), Mothra, and possibly Jet Jaguar. There will be a total of 23 characters in the game.
Rage mode is now called “Critical Mass,” which temporarily gives the kaiju a look much like that of cracked earth with lava flowing underneath. The monsters achieve Critical Mass by either destroying the crystals or absorbing their energies. While in Critical Mass, the monsters deal significantly more damage to their foes at the cost of their defense. "Unleashed" has also replaced "Rage Attacks" with "Power Surges"; super-powerful attacks that are available in "Critical Mass", and which are unlocked after defeating enemy "boss" monsters in "Critical Mass" while in the story mode of the game. "Power Surges" are only usable in single player mode, and any one monster can have several of them (this information comes from Wikipedia.com).
The storyline goes like this: The story begins with a meteor shower raining down on Earth, causing climate shifts and earthquakes. Simultaneously, the kaiju of Earth begin to attack cities around the globe. Factions form among the members of Earth as well as the monsters attacking them, totaling four monster factions. Choices within the story affect later events, including the relationships between Earth factions and the monster ones. Earth Defenders, Global Defense Forces, Alien Invaders, and Mutants have been confirmed by Pipeworks as factions in the game.
The only known arenas in Unleashed are New York City, Seattle, Monster Island, and San Francisco.
They are also making a version of this game for Nintendo DS, similar to the previous DS release, “Godzilla: Monster of Monsters”. A multi-player option will allow for a different player to control each monster. Monsters announced for this game so far are: Godzilla, Gigan, Megalon, SpaceGodzilla, Mothra, Battra, Anguirus, Biollante, Ebirah, and MechaGodzilla.

7/9/07 - GODZILLA 3D A GO!

From Monsterzero.org & the Kerner Productions Website:
Godzilla is returning to the big screen, for the first time in 3-D! This contemporary version of the largest classic cinema creature of all time will take full advantage of the growing popularity of digital 3-D theaters to bring Godzilla to its worldwide audience in a way that has never been experienced before.

Kerner Productions recently announced that Tokyo based Digital Motion, have provided initial development funding for the project. Kerner Productions and Kerner Optical LLC staff will also be providing miniature, creature creation, physical effects, and visual effects support. Tokyo based Producer/Director Yoshimitsu Banno and Producer Kenji Okuhira, have teamed up with Hollywood 3-D veterans Producer Brian Rogers, Director Keith Melton, and Director of Photography Peter Anderson, ASC to form the core production team.

“Godzilla 3-D” will be designed to take full advantage of the composition, staging, and dynamic editing of original three dimensional photography. The film will also incorporate updated creature technology along with cutting edge motion capture and 3-D CGI animation to bring a more fluid and realistic energy to Godzilla. This will create more subtle facial moves and will allow the filmmakers to expand and enhance Godzilla’s character.

The anticipated start date for this original production is slated for February 2008, and will lens in South America, Mexico, Tokyo, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Casting for this English language film will take place in Los Angeles.

You can also click on the link above for "Godzilla 3D" to view its own section check back here for more information as it is released!