Press Notes and Images from Toho

Source: Toho Co., Ltd.

Official Site: shin-godzilla.jp (Japan)

A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Summer 2016: Godzilla is “born”…

Toho Co., Ltd. has provided SciFi Japan with press notes and high-res photos from their upcoming film, GODZILLA RESURGENCE (シン・ゴジラ, Shin Gojira). We are pleased to share a mix of images — some new, some previously released — in larger sizes and higher quality than has been seen before.

Since the release of the original GODZILLA (ゴジラ, Gojira) in 1954, nearly 100 million people have bought tickets to see Godzilla in Japanese cinemas. The monster’s popularity has spread far beyond Japan, resulting in the 2014 Hollywood version of GODZILLA which grossed approximately ¥57 billion ($529 million) worldwide, making him the international “King of the Monsters”. The Japanese government’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has even presented Godzilla as one of the symbols of “Cool Japan”, a campaign promoting the country’s growing impact on world culture.

And now, Toho answers the growing demand for the Japanese version of Godzilla with their first new Godzilla movie in 12 years.

In the years since Toho put the Godzilla series on hiatus following the 50th anniversary production GODZILLA: FINAL WARS (ゴジラ ファイナルウォーズ, Gojira Fainaru Uoozu, 2004), the Japanese film industry has made a tremendous leap in visual effects technology. Toho has been involved in a number of high quality works and, with pride in the growth of Japanese film, has taken up the challenge to produce a new Godzilla.

The writer and director of GODZILLA RESURGENCE is Hideaki Anno, the renowned creator of the anime NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (新世紀エヴァンゲリオン, Shin Seiki Evangelion, 1995) whose works has earned him fans all over the world. In 2007 he revived his franchise with the first in a series of “Rebirth of Evangelion” feature films that have all been major hits as the box office — EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE (ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版: 序, Evangerion Shin Gekijooban: Jo) earned ¥2 billion (approximately $19 million), EVANGELION: 2.22 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE (ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版: 破, Evangelion Shin Gekijoban: Ha, 2009) ¥4 billion ($38 million) and EVANGELION: 3.0 YOU CAN (NOT) REDO (ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版：Q, Evangerion Shin Gekijooban: Kyuu, 2012) ¥5.3 billion ($50 million). Despite this success, Anno decided to postpone the fourth and final “Rebuild” in order to make GODZILLA RESURGENCE.

Co-directing GODZILLA RESURGENCE is Anno’s longtime ally, Shinji Higuchi. Shortly after graduating from high school, Higuchi joined the film industry as a staff member on THE RETURN OF GODZILLA (ゴジラ, Gojira, 1984). After working with Anno on EVANGELION, he directed the special effects on the acclaimed Gamera Trilogy (1995-99). He has also directed blockbusters; SINKING OF JAPAN (日本沈没, Nihon Chinbotsu, 2006) made ¥5.34 billion ($50 million), THE FLOATING CASTLE (のぼうの城, Nobo no Shiro, 2012) ¥2.84 billion ($27 million) while the two live-action ATTACK ON TITAN (進撃の巨人, Shingeki no Kyojin, 2015) movies earned a combined ¥4.93 billion ($46 million).

Anno and Higuchi will introduce the largest Godzilla to date. Standing 118.5 meters (389 feet) tall, the new Godzilla takes the crown from the previous record holder: the 2014 Hollywood Godzilla (108 meters/354 feet). The monster also features a new design to instill “great fear” in its victims.

While previous Godzilla movies have linked back to the 1954 original, the makers of GODZILLA RESURGENCE chose to present a story in which Godzilla appears in Japan for the first time. With a staff of 1000 peopleand shooting on an unprecedented scale for the franchise, Anno and Higuchi aim to bring the overwhelming reality of Godzilla to the big screen.

CREDITS

Official English Title: GODZILLA RESURGENCE

Japanese Title: シン・ゴジラ (Shin Gojira)

Literal Translation: Shin (New/True) Godzilla

Japanese Release Date: Friday, July 29, 2016 (Nationwide Roadshow)

Cast

Rando Yaguchi: Hiroki Hasegawa

Hideki Akasaka: Yutaka Takenouchi

Kayoko Ann Patterson: Satomi Ishihara

Prime Minister: Ren Osugi

Chief Cabinet Secretary: Akira Emoto

Executive Secretary to Chief Cabinet Deputy Secretary: Kengo Kora

Ministry of the Environment Bureaucrat: Mikako Ichikawa

Self-Defense Forces Official: Jun Kunimura

Self-Defense Forces Official: Pierre Taki

Minister of Defense: Kimiko Yo

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: Sei Hiraizumi

Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism: Kenichi Yajima

Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications: Akira Hamada

Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: Toru Tezuka

National Police Agency Commissioner-General: Arata Furuta

National Police Agency Criminal Investigation Bureau Director: Moro Morooka

Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management: Tetsu Watanabe

Disaster Prevention Division Director: Taro Suwa

Tokyo Governor: Ken Mitsuishi

Tokyo Deputy Governor: Takashi Fujiki

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bureaucrat Official: Kyusaku Shimada

Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Bureaucrat: Kanji Tsuda

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Bureaucrat: Issei Takahashi

Foreign Ministry Official: Yu Kamio

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Official: Toru Nomaguchi

Vice Chairman of the Policy Affairs Research Council for the LDP: Satoshi Matsuo

Biologists: Shinya Tsukamoto, Kazuo Hara

Paleontologist: Isshin Inudo

Marine Biologist: Akira Ogata

Self-Defense Force Official: Takumi Saito

Refugees: Atsuko Maeda, Ren Mori

Self-Defense Forces Officials: Shingo Tsurumi, KREVA, Jun Hashimoto

Prime Minister’s Office Staffer: Hairi Katagiri

Journalists: Matsuo Suzuki, Kawase Yota, Takahiro Miura

Cabinet Office Minister of State for Special Missions: Ikuji Nakamura

Fire Brigade Captain: Keisuke Koide

National Police Agency in Charge of Crisis Management Personnel: Kosei Kato

Fire and Disaster Management Agency in Charge of Crisis Management Personnel: Shohei Abe

Nuclear Regulatory Agency Staffer: Daisuke Kuroda

Crew

Writer/Director: Hideaki Anno

Co-Director/VFX Director: Shinji Higuchi

Associate Director/VFX Creative Director: Katsuro Onoe

Chief Producer: Minami Ichikawa

Producers: Taichi Ueda, Yoshihiro Sato, Masaya Shibusawa, Kazutoshi Wadakura

Executive Producer: Akihiro Yamauchi

Production Manager: Takeshi Sato

Line Producer: Kensei Mori

Cinematography: Kosuke Yamada

Lighting: Takayuki Kawabe

Art Directors: Yuji Hayashida, Eri Sakushima

Production Manager: Masato Inatsuki

Set Decorators: Akira Sakamoto, Toshiaki Takahashi

Sound: Jun Nakamura

Sound Mixer: Haru Yamada

Sound Effects: Toru Noguchi

VFX Supervisor: Atsuki Sato

VFX Producer: Tetsuo Ohya

VFX: Takashi Yamazaki

Concept Design: Mahiro Maeda

Character Design: Takayuki Takeya

Moldmaker Supervisor: Yoshihiro Nishimura

Special Effects Cinematography: Keizo Suzuki, Keiichi Sakurai

Special Effects Lighting: Atsushi Ogasawara

Special Effects Production Designer: Toshio Miike

Special Effects: Kazuaki Sekiyama

Editors: Atsuki Sato, Hideaki Anno

Assistant to Supervising Director: Ikki Todoroki

Assistant Director: Kimiyoshi Adachi

C Team Director: Yusuke Ishida

D Team Cinematography/Directors: Masunayuki, Kazuki Todoroki

Casting: Tsuyoshi Sugino

Music: Shiro Sagisu

Music Producer: Kyoko Kitahara

Production: Toho Co., Ltd.

Production: Toho Pictures, Cine Bazar

Distributor: Toho

International Sales: Toho

© 2016 TOHO CO., LTD.

About Toho Co., Ltd.

Founded in 1932 and headquartered in Tokyo, Toho Company, Ltd. is one of the leading entertainment conglomerates in Japan. Toho is best known worldwide as the producer of twenty-nine Godzilla motion pictures, based upon a character the company unleashed on the world back in 1954, and masterpiece films directed by Akira Kurosawa. Toho has been the number one distributor of motion pictures in Japan (both domestic and foreign) for eight consecutive years since 2003. The company is also, throughout Japan, the leading producer of theatrical works and one of the largest owners of office buildings and theaters.



