Shin Godzilla

"Japan vs. Godzilla. (ニッポン対ゴジラ. )"

- Tagline

Godzilla: Resurgence シン・ゴジラ (Shin Gojira) is an upcoming 2016 Japanese produced by Toho Company Ltd., and the 29th installment in the Godzilla series. It was released in Japanese theaters on July 29, 2016, and will be released in late 2016 in 100 international territories, including North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.

Development
The film was revealed through Godzilla.jp. The movie was set to be in production from summer to autumn 2015. In addition, Toho inaugurated "Godzi-Con" to discuss and determine strategies for future Godzilla films, including this one. On March 31, 2015, it was officially confirmed that Hideaki Anno, known for his work on the popular anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, would be writing the screenplay for the film and serve as executive director, and that Shinji Higuchi, who provided the special effects for the Heisei Gamera trilogy, the upcoming Attack on Titan live-action films, and a scene in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, would be the film's director as well as the director of special effects. It was also said that the version of Godzilla in this film would exceed the size of Legendary's Godzilla, making it officially the largest Godzilla ever on film. On July 31, 2015, Bandai Creation confirmed that it would be producing and releasing figures for the film in the United States in 2016.

In an interview with the Associated Press conducted on July 31, 2015, Shinji Higuchi revealed that Hideaki Anno had recently completed the film's script, and that filming would begin in September. Higuchi stated that he was under strict orders not to reveal any specific details about the film, but he did state that Godzilla would be portrayed in the film using a combination of computer graphics and traditional tokusatsu techniques, a style that Higuchi called "hybrid," which he also utilized to portray the Titans in the recent live-action Attack on Titan film. Higuchi stressed that he wanted to create the most terrifying depiction of Godzilla possible with the resources available to modern Japanese cinema, to reflect the world's recent "loss of innocence" from modern real-life tragedies like the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the tsunami and nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan, which Higuchi called "the real monsters of the world."

In the 2015 Tsuruoka Kamakura Hachiman Paper Lantern Festival, a Godzilla paper lantern signed by Hideaki Anno could be found. It read "・ゴジラ・再上陸 Godzilla Relanding!"

Filming began on September 6, 2015 at the Kamata Railway Station, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

On April Fool's Day in Japan (March 31 in the United States), Toho announced a fake Godzilla vs. Evangelion film, even releasing artwork showing Godzilla with Evangelion Unit-01. This April Fool's joke was likely done as a nod to Hideaki Anno's work on both franchises. Toho later revealed the announcement was a prank, but also announced an official collaboration between themselves and Gainax involving Evangelion Unit-01 being featured on exclusive tickets for Godzilla: Resurgence.

On April 13, Toho released an official trailer for the film, showing several of the characters from the film along with Godzilla's full design in action, rendered through CGI. A shorter 32-second version of the trailer was released as well. Toho also updated the film's official website with cast and staff information of the film, as well as a new screenshot of Godzilla in the website's background. Composer Shiro Sagisu's website announced that the soundtrack for Godzilla: Resurgence would go on sale on the film's release date of July 29, and would be sold by King Records.

On May 25, it was announced that the company Intercontinental Film Distributors (H.K.) Ltd., who has distributed various Hollywood films in Hong Kong in theaters and on home video, would be giving Godzilla: Resurgence a theatrical release in Hong Kong starting on August 25. It had recently been confirmed that the film would also be released theatrically in Taiwan starting on August 12. On June 1, the Thai film production and distribution company Sahamongkol Film International Co. Ltd. announced via Twitter that it would be distributing Godzilla: Resurgence theatrically in Thailand starting on July 28, one day ahead of the film's Japanese release.

Shinji Higuchi was present at Tokyo Toy Show on June 9, where he took the stage at Bandai and Tamashii Nations' Godzilla presentation. Accompanied by MireGoji, Higuchi showcased the upcoming S.H. MonsterArts Light Sound Songs Godzilla 1989 figure, and also unveiled the new S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2016 figure. While at the presentation, Higuchi confirmed that Godzilla: Resurgence was currently in post-production and not yet fully completed, as he and everyone else working on the film were continuing to work until the very end to make something great.

A report published by SciFi Japan on June 13 clarified that Godzilla: Resurgence would not be a sequel to the original 1954 film, and will instead feature a story where Godzilla appears in Japan for the very first time.

Plot
Godzilla: Resurgence takes place in modern-day Japan, which has suffered an attack by Godzilla. The United States soon gets involved in the chaos to help Japan secure its existence.

The Coast Guard boards a small boat in Tokyo Harbor. Its occupant, a scientist, has vanished. Suddenly, the board rocks violently. Meanwhile, a large amount of what appears to be blood crashes into an underwater tunnel.

People evacuate while the Japanese government desperately tries to determine what caused the incident. At first they insist that it's impossible for it to have been caused by a living thing, but the appearance of a tail in the water changes that. Then they announce on TV that there's no way creature in the water will make landfall. But it does.

The creature has Godzilla's traditional dorsal structure and tail but looks more like a stubby iguana. It flops unceasingly down the streets of Tokyo, pushing ships and cars in front of it, crushing people as they try to escape. It climbs on buildings and they collapse. It periodically bleeds out of some gill-like openings in its front. The meetings continue.

Suddenly, the creature stops moving. It glows. Then, suddenly, its body stretches grotesquely. Its back legs grow and it stands up on two feet. Tiny, stubby arms pop out of its sides. "Like it's evolving!" gasps the politicians. The Japanese Self-Defense Force arrives to attack it, but there are still people in the blast zone. The prime minister refuses to allow the attack to begin.

Then the monster heads back to the harbor and disappears into the sea. Now the government must figure out what just happened, try to prevent it from happening again, and clean up.

Committees are formed. A group of lone-wolf scientists gathers to try to research the monster with what limited knowledge they have. Talks begin with governments around the world, most of all the US government. What makes the beast move? Where did it come from? What happened to the scientist on the ship, who was studying this creature?

Then, appearing in the Tokyo Harbor again: GODZILLA. The creature has evolved again and it is more than twice the size it was at its first appearance. It slowly enters Tokyo, wreaking havoc with every step, destroying the city. The government struggles to come up with answers.

The Self-Defense Force comes back. The prime minister reluctantly gives permission to hit Godzilla with everything they have. They do. Godzilla barely moves.

The US government steps in. They drop bombs on Godzilla's back. It bleeds! It worked!

Then Godzilla appears to vomit. What comes out of its mouth is purple beams and fire. Godzilla sets all of Tokyo ablaze. Not only that, it shoots the beams from its back spikes too. The armies of both countries are demolished. Many Japanese government officials, including the prime minister, die when their helicopter is taken down by a beam.

Then, after thoroughly destroying the city, Godzilla simply freezes in place.

Now there is an even bigger incentive to find Godzilla's secrets and stop it. The places in the city where Godzilla's beams touched have very high nuclear radiation readings. They study the immobile Godzilla and find that it is slowly producing nuclear energy. Godzilla runs on nuclear power, and it used all of its power in its rampage. Now it is rebuilding the energy to continue.

The scientists find that Godzilla has more DNA information than any other creature on Earth. It is highly evolved, and may continue to evolve further.

The US government wants to take over dealings with Godzilla. They plan to drop a nuclear bomb on Tokyo. They begin a countdown and give the Japanese 2 weeks to evacuate.

The scientists and government formulate a plan: the Yashiori Strategy.

They send driverless trains, carrying bombs, to crash into Godzilla's legs. Godzilla wakes up. They use American drones to drop bombs on Godzilla. Godzilla gets angry and begins shooting beams out of its mouth, spikes, and tail. They knock buildings down on Godzilla so it can't get up. Then they send in pump trucks, who pump Godzilla's mouth full of a substance that freezes its blood. Godzilla freezes in place.

In the ending, Godzilla is stopped dead in the middle of Tokyo. The American's countdown has been paused, not cancelled; if Godzilla reawakens, Tokyo will be nuked. The people of Japan have no choice but to live together with Godzilla.

In the final shot, there is a closeup of Godzilla's tail. Sticking out of its tail, many skeletal humanoid figures can be seen, all of them possessing the same dorsal plates as Godzilla.

Alternate Titles

 * New Godzilla (Literal Japanese Title)
 * Real Godzilla (Alternate Translation)
 * True Godzilla (真·哥斯拉, Hong Kong)
 * Authentic Godzilla (正宗哥吉拉, Taiwan)
 * Shin Godzilla (United States)

Theatrical Releases

 * Japan - July 29, 2016
 * Thailand - July 28, 2016
 * Taiwan - August 12, 2016
 * Hong Kong - August 25, 2016

Trivia

 * This is the first -produced Godzilla film since Terror of MechaGodzilla to be released in a month other than December.
 * The almost 12-year gap between Godzilla: Final Wars and this film is the longest-ever period of time between the release of two Toho Godzilla films, passing the previous record set by the hiatus between Terror of MechaGodzilla and The Return of Godzilla by nearly three years.
 * This film's trailer features the classic "TohoScope" logo in the opening, which was featured in all of Toho's widescreen films from 1957 to 1964, as well as in Godzilla: Final Wars.
 * This film's supporting cast includes actors Akira Emoto, who played Akira Yuki in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, and Jun Kunimura, who played EDF Major Komuro in Godzilla: Final Wars and Kubal in Toho's Attack on Titan films, which Shinji Higuchi also directed.
 * Godzilla: Resurgence is the first Toho Godzilla film to not feature actor Koichi Ueda in some role since The Return of Godzilla.