(Unpopular Opinion) I wouldn’t bet on Legendary adapting most of Toho’s monsters.
Gojirafan2013
MemberBaragonMay-22-2023 5:32 PMI say this because except for a select few like Destroyah, Biollante, Anguirus, Gigan, Megalon, Hedorah, Keizer Ghidorah, and Godzilla Junior, Toho’s monsters are either too obscure or, if we’re being honest, too generic.
Like, for monsters like Gorosaurus, Ebirah, and Kumonga, what’s their appeal? What would they add to the MonsterVerse? Is it the novelty of giant animals? If it’s the novelty, why not make original theropod, crustacean, and arachnid Titans that pay homage to their Japanese counterparts? Instead of a generic allosaur, imagine a giant, feathered theropod dinosaur with venomous fangs! Instead of giant lobsters and spiders, what if Legendary made a giant, electric eel/crustacean hybrid and a giant reptilian spider?
Film studios have been making dinosaurs, giant crustaceans, and giant spiders for decades. So why spend a fortune on Gorosaurus, Ebirah, and Kumonga to include big animals in the MonsterVerse? What makes them so special?
As for more original toho monsters like Orga, Megagurius, Battra, MOGUERA, Baragon, Varan, and the Garguantuas, what would they add? Are they even popular enough to warrant American adaptations? Legendary can make their own monsters, so I don’t see the need for them.
Something else to keep in mind about toho monsters is that each of them comes with a price tag. Legendary can’t license a lot of toho monsters because it uses up money. And since kaiju films are niche, they have to budget them wisely. If you were in Legendary’s position, which monster would you purchase? A unique monster that could draw in audience hype (Destroyah, Gigan, Biollante) or a monster that’s an overgrown animal? Would you choose a monster that couldn’t be replaced or one you could make without spending extra money?
Even if Toho didn’t charge you for purchasing Showa monsters like Gorosaurus, would bringing them in still be worth it? What would you gain from putting them in a MonsterVerse movie?
My point is, if Legendary is going to purchase more toho monsters, they won’t choose “fodder” monsters. They will pick ones that either have a lot of clout (Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan, Mechagodzilla, and possibly Anguirus) behind them or ones that could generate hype (Gigan, Megalon, Destroyah, Biollante, and Keizer Ghidorah). With this in mind, I wouldn’t expect to see many toho monsters get adapted into the MonsterVerse.
I understand that a lot of Godzilla fans love toho monsters. But it’s important to be realistic when it comes to your expectations. Just because you want to see something happen, it doesn’t mean it will happen. It’s important not to get too demanding. Legendary isn’t a big studio like Disney. They may decide that most toho monsters aren’t worth bringing in and will instead opt for only a few from Toho’s gallery. As long as we get cool world-building and great monster fights, I’ll be satisfied! I’m not going to be upset if we don’t get Showa monsters, and I’m not going to let it ruin my enjoyment of future films. On the flip side of that, though, I think we’ll be getting more toho monsters! I bet Legendary knows that fans want to see them. I’m confident that Mothra and Rodan are still on the table!
It’s just a matter of which monsters will work from a creative and business standpoint. And when you take the above factors into account, you’ll realize that we’re probably not going to see a majority of Toho’s monsters come over to the United States.
SasquaDash
MemberAnguirusMay-22-2023 6:50 PMI hope that they at least introduce a couple more Toho kaiju into the MonsterVerse. Even if they aren't well known, adding them to the series would be a good way of introducing them to general audiences. Plus, as much as I love the new monsters, I feel like they've been overshadowing the classic ones, so I feel like they should add some Toho monsters so that there can be a good balance of new and old.
Personally, I would love to see Anguirus (since a skeleton that resembled him appeared in KOTM), Gigan (since they've established alien titans in the series), and Destoroyah (since the oxygen destroyer was used in KOTM). Even if they only gave us these three, I would be happy.
Gojirafan2013
MemberBaragonMay-22-2023 7:51 PM@SasquaDash: I feel the opposite. I feel that the original Titans haven’t been featured enough and that the toho monsters (Mothra, Rodan, Ghidorah, and Mechagodzilla) have overshadowed them. I hope we get more of them in future projects. However, I would love to see more toho monsters like Gigan and a few others brought into the MonsterVerse.
Hydra
MemberBaragonMay-23-2023 6:51 AMi would really like at least 2 movies on the monsterverse titans in KOTM rather than introducing another toho titan. In the movie after godzilla + kong the new empire.
SasquaDash
MemberAnguirusMay-23-2023 8:35 AMEven if they only added two or three of the other Toho kaiju, I would be happy. I feel like it would be somewhat of a missed opportunity if they didn't.