The new threat is Titan X, and yes, Godzilla and Kong will have to team up once again.

About Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

The second season stars Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Joe Tippett and Anders Holm. The 10-episode second season of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” will premiere worldwide on Friday, February 27, 2026. It will debut with the first episode, with a new episode every Friday until May 1, 2026.

Synopsis: Season one of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” tracks two siblings looking to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Colonel Lee Shaw (played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell), taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows.

Season two will pick up with the fate of Monarch — and the world — hanging in the balance. The dramatic saga reveals buried secrets that reunite our heroes (and villains) on Kong’s Skull Island, and a new, mysterious village where a mythical Titan rises from the sea. The ripple effects of the past make waves in the present day, blurring the bonds between family, friend and foe — all with the threat of a titan event on the horizon. As previously announced, season two will feature Kong, Godzilla and introduce a new Titan: the enigmatic Titan X that is now officially on the loose. Titan X isn’t just another monster; it’s a living cataclysm. When its massive bioluminescent form breaks the surface of the ocean, the world seems to hold its breath. In “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” season two, Titan X stands at the center of the mystery – an ancient force emerging from the deep, its purpose uncertain, its power unmatched, its awe and terror in equal measure.

New season two guest stars include Takehiro Hira, Amber Midthunder, Curtiss Cook, Cliff Curtis, Dominique Tipper and Camilo Jiménez Varón.

The second season is executive produced by Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell from Safehouse Pictures, alongside Chris Black, Jen Roskind, Matt Shakman and Lawrence Trilling.

The post Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Trailer Features Titan X, Godzilla and Kong appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Higuchi was present to promote the upcoming 4K remaster of Shin Godzilla, which will stomp into North American theaters on August 14, 2025.

“It’s hard to believe that ten years have passed,” the director said during the panel. “When we were filming, it was more than ten years ago. We did spend a lot of money cleaning it up in 4K, so it’s like it’s fresh, but I do think it is still very relevant. So hopefully you guys who didn’t have the opportunity to go ten years ago can go see it in theaters.”

IDW Publishing stole the spotlight with exciting reveals about their expanding Godzilla comic universe. Editor Jake Williams announced the upcoming Godzilla x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 crossover series. Fans were also treated to previews of Starship Godzilla by Chris Gooch and Oliver Ono, and Godzilla: Escape the DeadZone by Ethan Parker, Griffin Sheridan, and Pablo Tunica, both explore a shared universe. The panel showcased new art and teased plot twists that promise to expand Godzilla’s mythos in bold, new creative ways.

Beyond comics, the panel highlighted an array of exclusive merchandise and fan experiences. This included Super7’s pop-up shop at their Gaslamp store with movie props, cosplayers, and exclusive items like the Toho ULTIMATES! Godzilla: Minus One figure and a Toho Kaiju Response Team T-shirt.

Mondo offered daily exclusives, including a Godzilla and Hedorah Soft Vinyl Figure Set and a Godzilla #1 poster of Herbe Trimpe’s classic 1977 Marvel cover.

The panel capped off with a surprise appearance by O’Shea Jackson Jr., star of 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. He emerged from behind the curtain just as the moderator opened the floor for questions. The actor shared that his favorite Godzilla film was the 2019 flick he starred in because he did not die in the movie.

When Jackson Jr. asked the panelists about their favorite Godzilla movies, Shinji Higuchi cited the 1973 cult classic, Godzilla vs. Megalon, while others mentioned Shin Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and even the Matthew Broderick 1998 Godzilla.

Jackson’s unexpected appearance and how he constantly brought up the fact that his character is not dead have many fans speculating that he may be involved in the next Legendary Godzilla project.

The panel concluded with Mondo giving away unreleased figures to fans who answered Godzilla trivia questions.

The post Godzilla Roars at SDCC 2025: Comics, Collectibles, and O’Shea Jackson! appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Godzilla Minus One Blu-ray Deluxe Japan Collector’s Edition will be priced at $65 and is exclusive to the Godzilla Store. The collector’s edition is similar to the deluxe 4-disc box set released on May 1, 2024, in Japan. It includes both Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color and will be shipped out in September 2024.

You can now pre-order the Blu-ray at https://godzilla.com/collections/godzilla-minus-one.

Since North American fans will be getting the Godzilla Minus One Blu-ray Deluxe Japan Collector’s Edition, the packaging and content will have the original Japanese treatment with the same features with added the addition of English menus and the option for Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color with English subtitles.

Here are the details:

Disc 1: Godzilla Minus One 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

• 125 minutes / 3 layers (100G) / 4K 2160p 16:9 scope size / Dolby Vision
• Audio: (1) Japanese Dolby Atmos (2) Japanese 5.1ch Dolby TrueHD (3) Japanese 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD (4) Barrier-free Japanese audio guide 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD
• Subtitles: (1) Barrier-free Japanese subtitles (2) English subtitles

Disc 2: Godzilla Minus One Blu-ray

• 125 minutes / Trailer compilation / 2 layers (BD50G) / 1080p High Definition 16:9 scope size
• Audio: (1) Japanese Dolby Atmos (2) Japanese 5.1ch Dolby TrueHD (3) Japanese 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD (4) Barrier-free Japanese audio guide 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD
• Subtitles: Barrier-free Japanese subtitles (2) English subtitles
• Trailer Collection (Japanese language only)
  • Special Announcements 1 & 2
  • Trailer
  • TV Spot
  • No. 1 Edition/That’s Godzilla Edition/A Glimmer of Hope Edition/The World Praises Edition/Live and Resist Edition/Against Godzilla Edition
  • 6-Second Bumper
  • IMAX PR Video
  • ScreenX PR Video
  • TOHO CINEMAS MOVIE LINE UP
  • Cinema Mileage Announcement

Disc 3: Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color Blu-ray

• Main feature 125 minutes / Godzilla-1.0/C trailer / 2 layers (BD50G) / 1080p High Definition 16:9 scope size
• Audio: (1) Japanese Dolby Atmos (2) Japanese 5.1ch Dolby TrueHD (3) Japanese 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD (4) Barrier-free Japanese audio guide 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD
• Subtitles: Barrier-free Japanese subtitles (2) English subtitles

Disc 4: Bonus Blu-ray (Japanese language only)

• Recording length: 240 minutes / 2 layers (BD50G) / 16:9 / 1080p High Definition (some 1080i)
• Audio: Japanese 2.0ch Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: NOTE – NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES
• Bonus Disc Contents
  • Making of
  • VFX Making of
  • Release commemorative special program “Behind the scenes: The movie “Godzilla-1.0” -No.30-
  • Event footage:
    • September 4, 2023: Completion report press conference
    • October 18, 2023: World premiere red carpet event
    • October 23, 2023: Tokyo International Film Festival opening red carpet
    • November 1, 2023: Tokyo International Film Festival closing screening stage greetings
    • November 3, 2023 (National Holiday): Opening day stage greetings
    • November 8-10, 2023: North American premiere
    • November 29, 2023: Sapporo event
    • Yamazaki Takashi Selection Talk Show
      • September 15, 2023: “Yamazaki Takashi Selection Godzilla Screening” 1st (Guest: Higuchi Shinji)
      • Friday, September 29, 2023: “Yamazaki Takashi Selection Godzilla Screening” Vol. 2 (Guest: Murase Keizo)
      • Friday, October 13, 2023: “Yamazaki Takashi Selection Godzilla Screening” Vol. 3 (Guest: Kaneko Shusuke)
      • October 27, 2023: “Yamazaki Takashi Selection Godzilla Screening” Vol. 4 (Guest: Anno Hideaki)

Specifications and Enclosures

• 4-disc Digipack + outer case specifications
• Special booklet (Japanese language only)
• “Special Disaster Response Materials Compilation” Abridged version (Japanese language only)

The post Godzilla Minus One Finally Gets U.S. Blu-ray Release with Collector’s Edition appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Possible spoilers ahead

The new Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire poster reveals the return of the legendary monster, Mothra. The poster clearly shows the winged kaiju in the background behind Godzilla, King Kong, and new monsters Skar King and Shimo. There had been some fan speculation for quite a while now that the Queen of the Monsters appears in one of the previous Godzilla x Kong trailers.

In a quick glimpse from one of the early trailers for the film, we get an image of what appears to be a monster in the reflection of someone’s eye. It was unclear which monster this was, but many fans began to theorize that this was Mothra.

The last time we saw Mothra, she gave her life force to revive Godzilla in his battle against King Ghidorah in Godzilla: King of the Monsters. There have been multiple iterations of Mothra in past Godzilla movies, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she would return.

With the return of Mothra, fans just have one more reason to get excited about seeing this epic Kaiju battle on the big screen.

About Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Synopsis: The epic battle continues! Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse follows up the explosive showdown of “Godzilla vs. Kong” with an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence—and our own. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” delves further into the histories of these Titans and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.

The film is directed by Adam Wingard and stars Rebecca Hall (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” The Night House”), Brian Tyree Henry (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” “Bullet Train”), Dan Stevens (“Gaslit,” “Legion,” “Beauty and the Beast”), Kaylee Hottle (“Godzilla vs. Kong”), Alex Ferns (“The Batman,” “Wrath of Man,” “Chernobyl”) and Fala Chen (“Irma Vep,” “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”).

The screenplay is by Terry Rossio (“Godzilla vs. Kong” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series) and Simon Barrett (“You’re Next”) and Jeremy Slater (“Moon Knight”), from a story by Rossio & Wingard & Barrett, based on the character “Godzilla” owned and created by TOHO Co., Ltd. The film is produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric Mcleod, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Brian Rogers. The executive producers are Wingard, Jen Conroy, Jay Ashenfelter, Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira.

Warner Bros. will release Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in theaters on March 29, 2024.

The post New Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Poster Reveals the Return of a Popular Monster! appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

BigXthaPlug is a rapper from Dallas, Texas, who was nominated for BET Hip Hop Awards’ Best Breakthrough Hip Hop Artist. Ro$ama is a hip-hop artist from Paris, Texas, bringing his street wisdom to the mix.

Godzilla Wins at the Oscars

Nerd Reactor recently attended the special early screening of Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire with director Adam Wingard. He shared his thoughts on Godzilla Minus One winning an Oscar for Best Visual Effects with director/writer Takashi Yamazaki and his team receiving the award.

“Well, I mean, who would have ever thought you’d see something like that,” Wingard replied to Nerd Reactor. “It’s really an exciting day. I mean, I’m so excited for Yamazaki too, and it’s so well deserved and the movie just looks incredible. So it’s super awesome. I saw John Carpenter tweeting about it the other day. I was like, ‘Oh wow, that’s awesome.’”

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire Inspirations

Wingard had a vision board featuring ’80s cartoons and Godzilla films for Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, which was a way to show his team what he wanted out of the film.

“Whatever reason that’s ingrained in my psyche and my introduction to Godzilla started in that same era,” he explained. “And the way I experienced Godzilla for the first time was being at home before preschool and Godzilla will be playing on daytime TV and it was always the Showa era films like Invasion of Astro Monster, Ghidorah, Destroy All Monsters. That kind of technicolor psychedelic vibe really interfaced nicely with my sort of experience of the ’80s, kind of neon colors. And so that’s the starting point for me with this movie. I really wanted to bring those kinds of influences into the Godzilla world and kind of bring it back, in my own way, to that Showa era kind of fun and colorful body.”

About Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire

Synopsis: The epic battle continues! Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse follows up the explosive showdown of “Godzilla vs. Kong” with an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence—and our own. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” delves further into the histories of these Titans and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.

The film is directed by Adam Wingard and stars Rebecca Hall (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” The Night House”), Brian Tyree Henry (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” “Bullet Train”), Dan Stevens (“Gaslit,” “Legion,” “Beauty and the Beast”), Kaylee Hottle (“Godzilla vs. Kong”), Alex Ferns (“The Batman,” “Wrath of Man,” “Chernobyl”) and Fala Chen (“Irma Vep,” “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”).

The screenplay is by Terry Rossio (“Godzilla vs. Kong” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series) and Simon Barrett (“You’re Next”) and Jeremy Slater (“Moon Knight”), from a story by Rossio & Wingard & Barrett, based on the character “Godzilla” owned and created by TOHO Co., Ltd. The film is produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric Mcleod, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Brian Rogers. The executive producers are Wingard, Jen Conroy, Jay Ashenfelter, Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira.

Warner Bros. will release Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in theaters on March 29, 2024.

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Wingard shared with us his vision board for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which featured classic Godzilla movies, Megadeth, Masters of the Universe, the pyramids of Giza, and more. Just by looking at it, you know that the director was a child of the ’80s.

“And the idea was that we did this room with a lot of our concepts as a way to communicate my vision to the cast, crew, producers, and studio so that everybody understood what movie we were making,” Wingard said. “And that all started with a wall exactly like this that we had at the beginning of the walkthrough, and this was sort of like the vision board that I created. As you can see, I mean, I’m obviously a child of the ’80s and so my influence as a filmmaker really was that experience of walking down the toy aisle as a kid and being bombarded with all these neon colors. And, you know, it was like the golden age for toys in the ’80s with Thundercats, He-Man, Transformers and G.I. Joe.”

The Showa era Godzilla films were when Wingard first discovered the popular kaiju, and he wanted to infuse the style into Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.

“Whatever reason that’s ingrained in my psyche and my introduction to Godzilla started in that same era,” he explained. “And the way I experienced Godzilla for the first time was being at home before preschool and Godzilla will be playing on daytime TV and it was always the Showa era films like Invasion of Astro Monster, Ghidorah, Destroy All Monsters. That kind of technicolor psychedelic vibe really interfaced nicely with my sort of experience of the ’80s, kind of neon colors. And so that’s the starting point for me with this movie. I really wanted to bring those kinds of influences into the Godzilla world and kind of bring it back, in my own way, to that Showa era kind of fun and colorful body.”

2024 is a good year for Godzilla fans with Wingard’s upcoming film and also Godzilla Minus One making history at the 2024 Academy Awards for winning Best Visual Effects. This marked the first time a Godzilla film has received an Academy Award and the first Japanese Language film to win in the VFX category. Director Takashi Yamazaki and his team were excited to receive the award on stage.

I was able to ask Wingard what his thoughts were about Godzilla Minus One winning an Oscar.

“Well, I mean, who would have ever thought you’d see something like that,” Wingard replied. “It’s really an exciting day. I mean, I’m so excited for Yamazaki too, and it’s so well deserved and the movie just looks incredible. So it’s super awesome. I saw John Carpenter tweeting about it the other day. I was like, ‘Oh wow, that’s awesome.'”

Wingard also shared about how both he and Yamazaki are cat owners and how both of their cats inspired Godzilla.

“One of my biggest influences in life is my cat, Mischief,” the director said. “And Mischief has been a big influence in terms of some of the ways I’ve developed mannerisms with Godzilla and in a literal way. She came through in this film, as you can see this shot of Godzilla in the Coliseum was a direct kind of lift from my cat sleeping in her cat bed. And funny enough, like a couple of weeks ago, I had a conversation with Yamazaki, who directed Godzilla Minus One, and it turns out that his cat was a major influence on the way he developed Godzilla as well. So I don’t know what the deal was with these cats. I think that maybe they’re just mind-controlling us”

About Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Synopsis: The epic battle continues! Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse follows up the explosive showdown of “Godzilla vs. Kong” with an all-new adventure that pits the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world, challenging their very existence—and our own. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” delves further into the histories of these Titans and their origins, as well as the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.

The film is directed by Adam Wingard and stars Rebecca Hall (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” The Night House”), Brian Tyree Henry (“Godzilla vs. Kong,” “Bullet Train”), Dan Stevens (“Gaslit,” “Legion,” “Beauty and the Beast”), Kaylee Hottle (“Godzilla vs. Kong”), Alex Ferns (“The Batman,” “Wrath of Man,” “Chernobyl”) and Fala Chen (“Irma Vep,” “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”).

The screenplay is by Terry Rossio (“Godzilla vs. Kong” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series) and Simon Barrett (“You’re Next”) and Jeremy Slater (“Moon Knight”), from a story by Rossio & Wingard & Barrett, based on the character “Godzilla” owned and created by TOHO Co., Ltd. The film is produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Eric Mcleod, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Brian Rogers. The executive producers are Wingard, Jen Conroy, Jay Ashenfelter, Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira.

Warner Bros. will release Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in theaters on March 29, 2024.

The post Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Director on ’80s Inspiration, His Cat Inspiring Godzilla’s Mannerism, Godzilla Minus One’s Oscar Win appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Check out the trailer below:

Tracer Pack: Dune Part Two – Harkonnen Pack

Dune is now out in theaters and has grossed over $81 million for its domestic box office opening. The hype is strong, and it continues with Call of Duty.

Players can currently get the Paul Atreides Bundle if they have COD Points. It includes Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atreides’ skin and more.

As for the new mid-season content, players can get the Harkonnen Pack. This includes the “Harkonnen Hunter” Operator Skin, the blueprints for the “Harkonnen Assault Rifle” with underbarrel flamethrower, “Harokonnen Sniper Rifle,” “Harkonnen Long Sword” Melee weapon, “The Oppressors” animated Calling Card, the “Harkonnen Rage” Large Decal, the “Baron’s Pet” Weapon Charm, and the “House Harkonnen” animated Emblem.

If you purchase both the Harkonnen Operator Bundle and the Paul Atreides Operator Bundle, you will unlock the “Paul Atreides Fedaykin Stealth Suit” Operator Skin.

Tracer Pack: Godzilla x Kong: New Empire – Kong

To celebrate the upcoming Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire film, the Kong Tracer Pack will be made available. It includes the “Kong Armor” Operator Skin, “Titan Tech Rifle” LMG and “Monarch Stinger” Assault Rifle blueprints, “Kong’s Knuckle Slamwich” Finishing Move, “Bow to No-One” Large Decal and the “King Kong” Weapon Charm.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire stomps into theaters on March 29, 2024.

Here’s what players can expect from the rest of the season 2 mid-season content courtesy of Infinity Ward.

Modern Warfare III

• New (Remastered) 6v6 Multiplayer Map. Revisit Das Haus in a whole new location as the setting moves from a training facility to the top of a skyscraper.
• Introducing Bounty, Juggermosh. Eliminate the HVT in Bounty for extra points, and battle as a Space Marine inspired Juggernaut in the Juggermosh limited-time mode.
• Vortex: Decay’s Realm. Redeploy to the Vortex with an expanded map pool featuring the new map variants Skidgrow and Airborne.

Zombies

• New Story Mission. Continue your journey alongside Sergei Ravenov as you’re pulled back into the Dark Aether while investigating a new anomaly, presenting terrifying and exciting challenges you haven’t encountered before.
• Dark Aether Rift. Squad up and conquer the Dark Aether once more in an all-new Dark Aether Rift, earning new and powerful rewards.
• Battle Warlord Keres. A new Warlord enters the Exclusion Zone, a chemical warfare specialist who’s willing to use any means necessary to choke out opposing Operators.
• New Schematics. Fire and keep on firing with the Mags of Holding. Summon an otherworldly two-wheeler with the Blood Burner Key. Expand your squad with the V-R11 Wonder Weapon.

Warzone

• Research Vessel Mobile POI. Board the Research Vessel on Fortune’s Keep, a new mobile POI circling the island’s shoreline.
• New Killstreak: Clear out buildings of entrenched enemies with this aerial attack that decimates anyone within the targeted location.
• New Field Upgrade: Create a safe zone in the gas with the Portable Decontamination Station, protecting any Operators within its area of effect.

For Both Titles

• Two New Weapons. Slice up the competition with the Soulrender Melee weapon and dominate the mid-range with the SOA Subverter Battle Rifle.
• New Store Offerings. In the grim of darkness of the far future, there is only war! Warhammer 40,000 storms into the Store in Season 2 alongside Godzilla x Kong and a new Dune Bundle.
• New Weekly Challenges, Events. Amass awesome rewards through completing new Weekly Challenges and Events going live in the mid-season.

The post New Godzilla x Kong and Dune: Part Two Bundles Coming to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Warzone appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

As for the U.S. box office numbers, it has been impressive with over $55 million, especially for a foreign film. This now makes Godzilla Minus One the third highest-grossing foreign language film in U.S. history, beating out Hero‘s $57.7 million and Parasite‘s $53.3 million.

The #1 spot still belongs to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which has grossed over $128 million. Life Is Beautiful gets the second spot with $57.2 million, which is closer to Godzilla’s $55 million.

With the domestic and international box office combined, it has grossed over $102 million.

About Godzilla Minus One

In postwar Japan, Godzilla brings new devastation to an already scorched landscape. With no military intervention or government help in sight, the survivors must join together in the face of despair and fight back against an unrelenting horror.

From renowned director, screenwriter & VFX visionary, Takashi Yamazaki (The Eternal Zero, Stand By Me Doraemon) comes GODZILLA MINUS ONE, a film about the power of hope in the face of despair.

The film stars Japanese superstars Ryunosuke Kamiki as Koichi Shikishima and Minami Hamabe as Noriko Oishi. Mr. Kamiki and Ms. Hamabe also currently star together in the hit Japanese television series “Ranman.”

Other cast includes Yuki Yamada as Shiro Mizushima, Munetaka Aoki as Sosaku Tachibana, Hidetaka Yoshioka as Kenji Noda, Sakura Ando as Sumiko Ota and Kuranosuke Sasaki as Seiji Akitsu.

The film was released domestically on December 1st, 2023.

The post Godzilla Minus One Is Now Third Highest Grossing Foreign Language Film in U.S. Box Office History appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Spoilers ahead for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Episode 6: “Terrifying Miracles.”

Keiko (Mari Yamamoto), Bill (Anders Holm) and Lee (Wyatt Russell) are pivotal characters in the creation of Monarch back in the 1950s, and their journey will pave the way for the new generation as they deal with government funding and chasing Godzilla. In episode 6, the trio visits a scientist in Japan who can attract Titans. Much to their surprise, Godzilla survived the Bikini Atoll nuclear testing.

Throughout the series as Keiko, Bill and Law chase after Titans and try to get funding, a love triangle forms.

“I think that like, weirdly, neither my character nor Wyatt’s character were ever putting the moves on, if that makes sense,” Holm tells Nerd Reactor. “I think it was like, work first. And then through the work, Bill and Keiko connected, but I think there was something more like pheromonal between Lee and Keiko or maybe different.”

“[The] writers would say Billy is Mr. Right, and Lee is Mr. Right Now,” Yamamoto added. “And yeah, I agree with that. But I also think that they’re both right for Keiko in different ways. And in a different time, different circumstances, maybe Lee and Keiko would have worked out as well. So I think finally, it’s the three of them that make everything make sense together.”

During the 6th episode, Keiko attends the ball with Lee, and it was something that helped Yamamoto with her scene.

“It was such a different episode for me,” Yamamoto explained. “Because I’m always sweaty, and there’s something on my face. Some dirt or sweat on my face, and I’m just running after something or very upset about something and I’m upset still out some things at the ball. But you know, it’s suddenly, we’re inside, and there’s 100 people in pretty dresses and dancing. So that’s when it first felt like, ‘Oh, this is the 1950s because we’re always the three of us in a remote area doing something and then suddenly, you’re thrust into this context of what it was like. Having the extras really throw me dirty looks in that environment really helped me get into the character being like, ‘Oh, this is her life as she walks down the street.’ That’s the look people give her so it added another layer to it, and I’m really grateful for that.”

Featured image: Anders Holm and Mari Yamamoto in Monarch Legacy of Monsters Courtesy of Apple TV+.

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Nerd Reactor had the chance to chat with director Takashi Yamazaki, who also serves as the screenwriter and visual effects supervisor for Godzilla Minus One. His previous credits include Space Battleship Yamato, Lupin III: The First, and Returner. The director talks about his excitement about the North American release, how the original 1954 film inspired Godzilla Minus One, and more.

The interview was conducted during the week of the U.S. theatrical release. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Nerd Reactor: So Godzilla Minus One. It’s already out in Japan. It’s going to be out in U.S. theaters this week. How are you feeling right now with just the hype surrounding this and also just a great reception so far?

Takashi Yamazaki: Yeah, I’m very, very excited. I got a taste of it at the [L.A.] premiere. And I really can’t wait to see what the reactions are on a larger scale for North America. You know, this is my first time I’m like really officially releasing a film formally in North America. So I’m really excited about what the fan reaction will be.

Nerd Reactor: So what is it about Godzilla do you think attracts a worldwide audience?

Takashi Yamazaki: So I think one is that Godzilla always has an overwhelming power. And I think people just have this natural instinct to be drawn to undeniable power. So I think that’s one. But also Godzilla has been a metaphor in the past for war, a nuclear weapon, so that metaphor. Also just that Godzilla movies have never been just a Kaiju movie. There’s always something else going on. So I think those elements are what keep fans coming for more.

What attracted you to do a Godzilla film where it’s serious, deals with nuclear weapons and then Godzilla is just the bad guy?

Takashi Yamazaki: From when I started being a director, I’ve always wanted to do a Godzilla movie and I’ve always wanted to create a ferocious Godzilla, which then would lead me to ask, “Okay, what makes Godzilla so ferocious.” Also on top of that, the setting was an unkind setting to add to the story. And yeah, Godzilla is a great IP which people have come up with so many more variations, but I want to have a Godzilla close to the 1954 first Godzilla movie.

This Godzilla is very menacing and I’m scared when I see Godzilla on the screen. The atomic breath has more damage and there’s the explosion. So what was the idea behind that one?

Takashi Yamazaki: So I felt that these days people have been forgetting that one of Godzilla’s original metaphors was to represent nuclear weapons, and I wanted to make that very obvious. So that’s why you have the cloud and then followed by the black rain, so I wanted to be able to bring that metaphor back into focus again.

The human story deals with the aftermath of World War Two, and I think if you take out Godzilla, the story is still, for me at least, good. I would still enjoy this movie without Godzilla being in it. Was that a conscious effort for you in crafting a story like that?

Takashi Yamazaki: Yeah, it was a very conscious decision. And I felt that the existence of Godzilla is emphasized by the human story and by the audience connecting to the humans and experiencing the fear of Godzilla through the characters we’ve connected with. So that’s why the human story is so solid, but it’s also a little tip of the hat to the first Godzilla that also had a very solid human story element.

About Godzilla Minus One

Synopsis: Godzilla Minus One sees an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla. This is the first domestic Japanese film since Shin Godzilla in 2016. GODZILLA MINUS ONE is written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki.

The film debuted in Japan on November 3, 2023, and in U.S. theaters on December 1, 2023.

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