Giant Monsters On The Loose

Original 1954 Gojira / 1956 Godzilla: King of the Monsters on Criterion DVD and Blu-ray

2012-01-25T20:41:00.000-06:00

This week, Criterion released its long-awaited high-definition digital restoration of both the original Japanese classic Gojira (1954) and the heavily reworked 1956 American version Godzilla: King of the Monsters! Available on both DVD and Blu-ray, the new edition is getting high marks for having a great picture.

Buy Godzilla (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
Buy Godzilla (Criterion Collection) on DVD

Related links:
The Original Godzilla: New Criterion Release Celebrates the Greatest Monster Movie (TIME)
“Godzilla” roars onto Criterion Blu-ray (IFC)
Original Godzilla goes to DVD, Blu-Ray in his terrible glory (USA TODAY)
This Week on DVD and Blu-ray: Godzilla Vs. Wilma Deering (Comic Book Resources)
Six Decades Later, Godzilla Still Has a Message for Us (SF Weekly)
The Criterion Collection edition of Godzilla (Giant Monsters on the Loose)

Special features include:
* New high-definition digital restoration (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
* Audio commentary by David Kalat (A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series)
* New high-definition digital restoration of Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Terry Morse’s 1956 reworking of the original, starring Raymond Burr
* Audio commentary for Godzilla, King of the Monsters by Kalat
* New interviews with actor Akira Takarada (Hideto Ogata), Godzilla performer Haruo Nakajima, and effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai
* Interview with legendary Godzilla score composer Akira Ifukube
* Featurette detailing Godzilla’s photographic effects
* New interview with Japanese-film critic Tadao Sato
* The Unluckiest Dragon, an illustrated audio essay featuring historian Greg Pflugfelder describing the tragic fate of the fishing vessel Daigo fukuryu maru, a real-life event that inspired Godzilla
* Theatrical trailers
* New and improved English subtitle translation
* PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman

Bangladesh KING KONG: I Want To Go To There

2011-10-24T08:10:00.000-05:00

This looks awesome.

Banglar King Kong

Apparently there's also an English-language musical on the way: King Kong Musical To Give Regards To Broadway? (Monster island News)

The Criterion Collection edition of Godzilla

2011-10-16T20:00:00.001-05:00

Here's info from Criterion's website about their upcoming DVD and Blu-ray of Godzilla (1954). Coming to stores January 24, 2012.

SYNOPSIS: Godzilla is the roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama made in Japan at a time when the country was still reeling from nuclear attack and H-bomb testing. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning more than twenty sequels. This first thrilling, tactile spectacle continues to be a cult phenomenon; here, we present the original, 1954 Japanese version, along with Godzilla, King of the Monsters, the 1956 American reworking starring Raymond Burr.

Disc Features

New high-definition digital restoration (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)

Audio commentary by David Kalat (A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series)

New high-definition digital restoration of Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Terry Morse’s 1956 reworking of the original, starring Raymond Burr

Audio commentary for Godzilla, King of the Monsters by Kalat

New interviews with actor Akira Takarada (Hideto Ogata), Godzilla performer Haruo Nakajima, and effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai

Interview with legendary Godzilla score composer Akira Ifukube

Featurette detailing Godzilla’s photographic effects

New interview with Japanese-film critic Tadao Sato

The Unluckiest Dragon, an illustrated audio essay featuring historian Greg Pflugfelder describing the tragic fate of the fishing vessel Daigo fukuryu maru, a real-life event that inspired Godzilla

Theatrical trailers

New and improved English subtitle translation

PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman

Godzilla Vs Megalon on DVD and Blu-ray

2011-09-30T08:34:00.000-05:00

In November, Tokyo Shock follows up their new edition of Destroy All Monsters with the release of Godzilla vs. Megalon to DVD and Blu-ray:

GODZILLA VS. MEGALON (1973) has been the most elusive Godzilla film in North America. This is the film that most baby-boomers saw in U.S. movie theaters and then had to rely on badly cropped VHS and DVD bootleg copies to enjoy the film thereafter. This entry features Godzilla taking on Megalon and Gigan with the help of the unforgettable growing robot, Jet Jaguar! Reportedly cut to receive a G-rating upon its U.S. release, the film was hosted by John Belushi in a Godzilla suit for its national TV premiere. Tokyo Shock will present the film uncut on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time on November 29!

"Godzilla vs. Megalon" completes the canonization of Godzilla, the creature who came from beneath the sea… to destroy Tokyo and has returned in sequels again and again to protect the land he once loathed. It's been a remarkable transformation of character- the dragon has become St. George.” – Vincent Canby, THE NEW YORK TIMES

Buy Online:
Godzilla Vs Megalon
Godzilla Vs Megalon [Blu-ray]
Destroy All Monsters
Destroy All Monsters [Blu-ray]

Related links:
MST3K vs. Giant Monsters
Available for Pre-Order: DESTROY ALL MONSTERS
Giant Monster Movies: Godzilla

MST3K vs. Giant Monsters

2011-09-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here are the hacienda, my wife and I have become big fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Over at Squidoo, I've created a page devoted to the giant monster movies that appeared on the series -- with an assortment of video clips, trailers, movie info and even a couple of polls. It also includes special sections devoted to the Gamera series and the Godzilla series, as well as movies with dinosaurs, sea monsters, giant lizards and more! (There are even links to watch several of the films free.)

Please check it out! MST3K vs. Giant Monsters

Related links:
King Kong: Eighth Wonder of the World (Squidoo)
Complete Guide To James Bond Songs (Squidoo)
20 Crime Movies on MST3K (Crime TV)
Giant Monster Movies: MST3K
MST3K Vs. Gamera on DVD

William Shakespeare Presents Terminator the Second

2011-09-11T22:53:00.000-05:00

This is crazy: Coming to Nashville in October, William Shakespeare Presents Terminator the Second is a staging of Terminator 2: Judgment Day reconstructed entirely from lines found in the plays of The Bard. As recounted on the official website:

"William Shakespeare Presents Terminator the Second" is the premiere production of the Nashville performance collective, Husky Jackal Theater. A product of nearly a year of research and revision by scriptors and Husky Jackal co-founders Marshall Weber and Cody De Vos, the script tells the story of a boy and his cyborg protector entirely in lines and phrases taken from the plays of William Shakespeare.

In April of 2011, Husky Jackal Theater launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for their production. They hoped to raise a modest $3,000, and finance the rest themselves - the original intent being to perform the show one night only at a local rock club. The project caught the attention of a number of influential websites and publications, including the SyFy channel, Gawker science blog i09, and Mental Floss magazine. The creators were suddenly in contact with supporters as far-flung as Brazil, the Philippines, Australia, and the United Kingdom, and their original fundraising goal was eclipsed several times over, enabling Husky Jackal Theater to vastly increase the scope of its production.

International support (and a healthy bit of pavement pounding) fostered community relationships, as the publicity brought the production to the attention of Nashville's creative class. Various persons reached out and came on board in every aspect of production. The Nashville Shakespeare festival invited Husky Jackal to observe auditions for Shakespeare in the Park's "Romeo and Juliet," establishing contact with several talented actors and actresses from the region eager to join. Eventually, Husky Jackal sought participation from the Nashville School of the Arts, and, thanks to a unique partnership, "Terminator the Second" will debut on the school's main stage in October of 2011, with some cast and stage crew roles filled by advanced production students.

The production will be at Nashville School of the Arts October 14-17. More information at TerminatorTheSecond.com.

Happy Birthday, Jack Kirby

2011-08-28T07:44:00.000-05:00

Today would have been the 94th birthday of comics legend Jack Kirby (1917-1994). One of the most influential comics creators ever, Kirby was the creator or co-creator of Captain America, Fantastic Four, X-Men, the Hulk, the Silver Surfer, Thor, Black Panther, New Gods, Mister Miracle, The Forever People, Darkseid, OMAC, Kamandi, Kobra, among many others.

During his prolific career, he also did war comics, romance comics -- and monster comics. Here are some examples of classic Jack Kirby monster comics:

Now on DVD: TROLLHUNTER

2011-08-25T05:39:00.002-05:00

Now available on DVD and Blu-ray: The vérité style giant monster movie Trollhunter, which follows a group of Norwegian film students that set out investigate a series of mysterious bear killings -- and learns there are much more dangerous things out there. The film was directed by André Øvredal, and stars Otto Jespersen, Hans Morten Hansen, and Tomas Alf Larsen.

The government says there’s nothing to worry about – it’s just a problem with bears making trouble in the mountains and forests of Norway. But local hunters don’t believe it – and neither do a trio of college students who want to find out the truth. Armed with a video camera, they trail a mysterious “poacher,” who wants nothing to do with them. However, their persistence lands them straight in the path of the objects of his pursuits: trolls. They soon find themselves documenting every move of this grizzled, unlikely hero -- the trollhunter -- risking their lives to uncover the secrets of creatures only thought to exist in fairy tales.

Available for Pre-Order: DESTROY ALL MONSTERS

2011-08-18T20:54:00.004-05:00

Coming October 25 from Tokyo Shock: The Japanese-language edition of Toho's monster rally classic Destroy All Monsters!

The year is 1999, and all of Earth's monsters have been captured and detained at Ogasawara Island. All is well in the solar system until one day, a race of alien women brainwashes the monsters and releases them, causing havoc around the world. Godzilla attacks New York City, Rodan invades Moscow, Mothra lays waste to Beijing, Gorosaurus destroys Paris, and Manda attacks London!

Gene Colan (1926–2011)

2011-06-24T09:27:00.000-05:00

Legendary comic book artist Gene Colan died late Thursday following a broken hip and complications from liver disease. He was 84. His career in comics, which spanned seven decades, included classic runs with such characters as Batman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, Daredevil, Howard the Duck and, of course, Count Dracula.

Legendary Comic Book Artist Gene Colan Has Died (Bleeding Cool)
Friday Runaround – Remembering Gene (Bleeding Cool)
Gallery: Images Featuring Gene Colan (Marvel.com)

Coming to DVD: Destroy All Monsters, Megalon

2011-05-29T19:10:00.000-05:00

From the The official Media Blasters page on Facebook:

Talking about Godzilla we can make it official now, we have [Destroy All Monsters] and Godzilla vs. Megalon. DAM is scheduled for October and will be both Blu-Ray and DVD releases. Do not know all the details about the extras yet. We will post with it later as they become available.

The Colossus of New York (1958) on DVD Aug 16

2011-05-26T15:22:00.000-05:00

Coming to DVD this August is the 1958 science fiction drama The Colossus of New York. A genius humanitarian is killed in an accident just after winning the Nobel Peace Prize. His father, a brilliant brain surgeon, works on the body in secret before burial; later revealing to his other son that he has the brain on life support and hopes to encase it in a robot body!

The film is noted for its haunting minimalistic piano score composed by Van Cleave.

Colossus of New York Trailer

Free preview: GODZILLA: Kingdom of Monsters #3

2011-05-23T19:13:00.000-05:00

Comic Book Resources and publisher IDW have posted a free eight-page preview of Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #3: Godzilla, Rodan, and Anguirus continue their devastation, and the worldwide media begins to chime in. As people around the globe suffer, celebrities band together to save the monsters from human counterattack, and the president is criticized for being "soft on monsters." Meanwhile... a mysterious giant egg washes ashore in France. And what's with those creepy little twin girls?

More from Giant Monsters on the Loose:
CBR: Layman Talks "Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths"
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1 -- here's the damage
Godzilla Vs. Megalon coming to DVD?
Giant Monster Movies: Godzilla

Giant Monster Movies: MST3K

2011-05-20T18:28:00.000-05:00

A list of the giant monster movies that appeared as part of the series Mystery Science Theater 3000 ...

SEASON ONE
101- The Crawling Eye
113- The Black Scorpion

SEASON TWO
208- Lost Continent
210- King Dinosaur
212- Godzilla Vs. Megalon
213- Godzilla Vs. The Sea Monster

SEASON THREE
302- Gamera
304- Gamera vs. Barugon
308- Gamera vs. Gaos
309- The Amazing Colossal Man
312- Gamera vs. Guiron
313- Earth vs. The Spider
316- Gamera vs. Zigra
317- Viking Women vs. The Sea Serpent
319- War of the Colossal Beast

SEASON FOUR
402- The Giant Gila Monster
406- Attack of the Giant Leeches
407- The Killer Shrews

SEASON FIVE
517- Beginning of the End
523- Village of the Giants

SEASON EIGHT
804- The Deadly Mantis
810- The Giant Spider Invasion

SEASON NINE
909- Gorgo
911- Devil Fish

Big Monster Lists
Giant Monster Movies
Giant Monster Movies: King Kong
Giant Monster Movies: Godzilla
Giant Monster Movies: Mothra
Giant Monster Movies: Rodan
Giant Monster Movies: Gamera
Giant Monsters: Ray Harryhausen
Giant Monster Movies: Dinosaurs
Giant Monster Movies: Robots

MST3K Vs. Gamera coming Aug 2

2011-05-09T19:26:00.004-05:00

Satellite News, official fansite of Mystery Science Theater 3000, has shared details of the upcoming box set featuring all five Gamera movies that appeared on MST3K. The deluxe collector's set MST3K Vs. Gamera: Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. XXI, hitting stores August 2, comes in a tin box with episodes #302 (Gamera), #304 (Gamera vs. Barugon), #308 (Gamera vs. Gaos), #312 (Gamera vs. Guiron) and #316 (Gamera vs. Zigra).

Bonus features include:
* So Happy Together: A Look Back at MST3K and Gamera
* Gamera Vs. The Chiodo Brothers
* Gamera Obscura: A Brief History by August Ragone (author of Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters)
* Original Japanese Trailers
* 5 limited edition mini-posters by artist Steve Vance

More from Giant Monsters on the Loose:
Giant Monster Movies: Gamera
Giants monster DVDs: Gamera, Sharktopus (Mar 15)
Watch TROLL HUNTER on demand Friday before it hits theaters
CBR: Layman Talks "Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths"
Godzilla Vs. Megalon coming to DVD?

Watch TROLL HUNTER on demand Friday before it hits theaters

2011-05-04T07:10:00.000-05:00

Friday (May 6), U.S. audiences get a chance to watch Norwegian creature feature Troll Hunter on demand -- more than a month before the film is scheduled to roll into theaters. Shot vérité-style, the giant monster film comes from director André Øvredal:

Massive trolls rampage through the countryside in this hair-raising monster movie. Students track and document the Trollhunter as he plies his trade keeping mankind safe from these unruly beasts!

According to Magnolia OnDemand, the film is available May 6 from Amazon.comas well as AT& T, Brighthouse, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Insight, iTunes, RCN, Time Warner, Verizon, VUDU and XBox.

The film hits select cinemas June 10.

More from Giant Monsters on the Loose:
Mega Python vs. Gatoroid on DVD June 21
Godzilla Vs. Megalon coming to DVD?
Giants monster DVDs: Gamera, Sharktopus (Mar 15)
Godzilla and Gamera -- cheap!
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

CBR: Layman Talks "Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths"

2011-05-03T16:45:00.000-05:00

Even as the new comic book Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters continues its rampage, publisher IDW launches a companion mini-series this June, Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths. Comic Book Resources has an interview with the mini's writer, Eisner Award-winner John Layman (Chew):

I wanted to fuse two of my favorite Asian cinema genres -- the monster movie with the hard-boiled gun-fu cops and gangsters movie. So the story is about a framed cop, wanted by the underworld and the police force, trying to clear his name, trying to protect his family, and trying to get revenge. He gets some help when he gets hold of the Mothra Twins, and starts using Mothra to systematically eliminate the families of the Tokyo criminal underworld.

Mega Python vs. Gatoroid on DVD June 21

2011-04-06T18:01:00.000-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- PREPARE FOR A MONSTER MASH ON AN UNIMAGINABLE SCALE! MEGA PYTHON VS. GATOROID

Starring 1980’s pop queens Debbie Gibson and Tiffany!

Chatsworth, CA – On June 21, Image Entertainment uncages Mega Python vs. Gatoroid – a colossal battle between claw and coil, fought in the ominous soup of the Florida Everglades. Directed by Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary), Mega Python vs. Gatoroid garnered huge ratings for its Syfy Channel premiere last January. SRP for the DVD is $27.97 and $29.97 for the Blu-ray™. The title is also be available on digital download.

When animal activist Dr. Nikki Riley (Debbie Gibson) accidently unleashes a python into the Everglades, her rival Chief Ranger Dr. Terry O’Hara (Tiffany) must find an expert reptile hunter to capture the twisting menace. After her boyfriend dies in the process, she resorts to extreme measures and creates genetically enlarged alligators to challenge the slithering serpent. With a reptilian rivalry as well as a confrontation of pop icons, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid provides a double dose of duels and disputatious doctors!

When science defies evolution – humanity has to pay! There are behemoths waiting to do battle in the swamp…with nothing to stop the destruction but two doctors: each blaming the other for the impending disaster. Can they lay aside their differences to prevent the ultimate confrontation…can they stop Mega Python vs. Gatoroid?

More from Giant Monsters on the Loose:
Godzilla Vs. Megalon coming to DVD?
Giants monster DVDs: Gamera, Sharktopus (Mar 15)
Godzilla and Gamera -- cheap!

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #1 -- here's the damage

2011-04-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

So, IDW's brand-new comic Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters debuted last week ... and sold out in one day. Part of the enormous buzz around the come was the brilliant idea to have 80 variant covers, 75 of which were customized to individual comics retailers. (See all 80 covers here at Bleeding Cool.)

Meanwhile, Toho Kingdom has posted a variety of GKOM info about the new issue as well as upcoming issues. Links here:
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters Lead Up (Updated) (Feb 26)
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #4 / Gangsters & Goliaths #1 (Mar 18)
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #5 Variant (Mar 29)

And my favorite bit of news of all (as seen in an advertisement found in Kingdom of Monsters #1): The mini-series Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths, which promises mobsters and monsters on Monster Island! That 5-issue extravanganza kicks off in June. More info from Toho Kingdom at the above link.

More from Giant Monsters on the Loose:
Godzilla Vs. Megalon coming to DVD?
Giant Monster Movies: Godzilla
Godzilla and Gamera -- cheap!
Giant Monster Movies: King Ghidorah
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters

Godzilla Vs. Megalon coming to DVD?

2011-04-02T14:10:00.000-05:00

On his blog The Good, the Bad, and Godzilla 続・夕陽の呉爾羅, August Ragone reports the possibility that 1973's GODZILLA VS. MEGALON may finally be getting its first-ever deluxe, anamorphic release DVD release: "According to a relative of one of the people who worked on MEGALON, a licensed Special Edition is being prepped, and will be replete with special features — including an audio commentary — which are underway or being negotiated for this proposed anamorphic release for the US market."

Read his entire blog entry here: "GODZILLA VS. MEGALON" COMING TO R1 DVD! First Official Home Video Release In The Works

More from Giant Monsters on the Loose:
Godzilla and Gamera -- cheap!
Giant Monster Movies: King Ghidorah
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters

Giants monster DVDs: Gamera, Sharktopus (Mar 15)

2011-03-19T16:34:00.001-05:00

A pair of giant monster DVDs that hit stores this week:

Gamera Vs. Zigra / Gamera: The Super Monster [Double-Feature]
From Shout! Factory come the final two films in the illustrious Gamera franchise: Gamera Vs. Zigra and Gamera: Super Monster! Witness twice the excitement as Gamera takes on the malevolent underwater alien creature Zigra and then revisits each of his deadliest foes one by one while trying to save the world! Both films feature newly remastered transfers in their original Japanese language as well as English dubs!

Sharktopus
It is known as S-11, a diabolical hybrid of shark and octopus created by genetic scientist Nathan Sands (Oscar®-nominee Eric Roberts of THE EXPENDABLES and THE DARK KNIGHT) as the U.S. Navy's next super-weapon. But when its control implants are damaged during a training experiment, the beast escapes to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a taste of sun, sand, bikini babes, jet-skiers, spring breakers and beyond. Now a hotshot mercenary, an investigative reporter, and Sand's biomechanical engineer daughter must stop a creature like none ever witnessed before: It has superior intelligence. It attacks without warning. And it likes to snack on bungee jumpers. Kerem Bursin and Sara Malakul Lane co-star with a hilarious cameo by legendary producer Roger Corman in the unforgettable Syfy Original Movie about the 8-tentacled eating machine called SHARKTOPUS!

Godzilla and Gamera -- cheap!

2011-03-11T21:06:00.000-06:00

Amazon has got several Godzilla and Gamera movies on sale right now -- thanks to commenter Lance Green for the original tip!

Related links:
Giant Monster Movies
Giant Monster Movies: Godzilla
Giant Monster Movies: Gamera
Giant Monster Movies: Mothra

Giant Monster Movies: King Ghidorah

2011-01-22T22:20:00.000-06:00

A three-headed giant dragon, King Ghidorah has appeared (one way or another) in multiple Godzilla and Mothra films. Among the most powerful giant monsters in daikaiju eiga and considered Godzilla's archenemy, Ghidorah is so powerful that Godzilla is often required to ally with other kaiju to battle the three-headed monster.

Here is King Ghidorah's filmography, pulled from our master list of Giant Monster Movies:

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1965) - (a.k.a. Godzilla vs. Monster Zero)
Destroy All Monsters (1968)
Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
Rebirth of Mothra (1996) - Desghidorah (a.k.a. Death Ghidorah)
Rebirth of Mothra III (1998)
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) - Keizer Ghidorah

Big Monsters Lists:
Giant Monster Movies
Giant Monster Movies: King Kong (and other Giant Apes)
Giant Monster Movies: Godzilla
Giant Monster Movies: Mothra
Giant Monster Movies: Rodan
Giant Monster Movies: Gamera
Giant Monsters: Ray Harryhausen
Giant Monster Movies: Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures
Giant Monster Movies: Robots and Colossi

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters

2011-01-22T06:53:00.002-06:00

More about that upcoming Godzilla comic book from IDW Publishing: Comic Book Resources talks to co-writers Eric Powell (The Goon) and Tracy Marsh about what to expect from Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters, which debuts March 2011:

The writers will waste no time getting to the destruction promised by a title like “Godzilla.” “Like with every story, you have to lay the ground work. Here's what the world was like when it was normal and then... monsters. Things get bad quick and go downhill fast,” Powell told CBR. “I don't want to give too much away, but we've laid in plenty of satire about the world we live in.”

The plural “monsters” may lead readers to assume that other familiar destroyers might be on the way, and such assumptions would be entirely correct. “Yep, we got Rodan, Mothra, Anguirus, King Ghidorah, and more,” Powell said. Asked whether the appearance of so many monsters might lead people to believe the end times are nigh, Marsh said, “We don’t plan to delve too deeply into the characters’ psyches, but, like I said before, we’ll definitely try to show how they’re struggling with the whole Hell-in-a-hand-basket scenario.”

Read the whole story here: Powell and Marsh Enter Godzilla's “Kingdom of Monsters”

Related links:
Godzilla returns to American comics in 2011
ROBOT 13 hits 100K downloads
WRATH OF THE TITANS: The Movie Based on the Comic Based on the Movie
Dream Project: SHOGUN WARRIORS
TITANO: More fantastic than KING KONG!

TORCHWOOD update

2011-01-07T20:28:00.000-06:00

Updates galore on the next Torchwood event -- now titled Torchwood: Miracle Day, the Doctor Who spin-off will air Stateside sometime July 2011 on Starz. (And, for those of us who are cable-challenged, hopefully available from Amazon Video on Demand shortly thereafter.)

Press release from BBC:

Bill Pullman, Mekhi Phifer, Alexa Havins and Arlene Tur join John Barrowman and Eve Myles for new series as plot and character details exclusively revealed.

Los Angeles, U.S – January 7, 2011 – BBC Cymru Wales, BBC Worldwide and US premium entertainment network, Starz Entertainment, today announced new cast, plot and character details for the new series of hit BBC ONE hit drama Torchwood. This highly anticipated new series will have the title Torchwood: Miracle Day and will premiere this July.

ER and Lie To Me star Mekhi Phifer will play Rex Matheson, a C.I.A. operative who joins forces with Captain Jack and Gwen Cooper to fight a global conspiracy that reaches from Washington to Wales and the slums of Shanghai whilst Bill Pullman, best known for his big screen roles such as While You Were Sleeping and Independence Day will take on the role of Oswald Danes, a convicted child killer who survives his own execution to become the most infamous man on the planet.

Also making their Torchwood debuts are Alexa Havins as Esther Drummond, a deskbound C.I.A employee who dreams of active duty and who suddenly finds herself running alongside Jack, Gwen and Rex; and Arlene Tur as Dr Vera Juarez, a Washington D.C. surgeon, who ends up on the frontline of medical care on “Miracle Day” advising the government think-tanks on the best course of action for the world’s population.

The plot of Miracle Day is the most explosive Torchwood storyline yet. One day, nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging — they get hurt and sick — but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite. It’s said that in four months’ time, the human race will cease to be viable. But this can’t be a natural event – someone’s got to be behind it. It’s a race against time as C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy. The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking “What is Torchwood?”, he’s drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human, forever.

John Barrowman and Eve Myles will return in their roles as Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper respectively.

The 10-episode instalment has been written by a team led by Torchwood creator, Russell T Davies, and produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Davies and BBC Worldwide Productions’ SVP Scripted, Julie Gardner, return as executive producers with BBC Worldwide Productions EVP Jane Tranter, and BBC Wales’ Bethan Jones. The series has been commissioned by Controller BBC Drama, Ben Stephenson, and Starz President and CEO, Chris Albrecht.

BBC Worldwide, having previously distributed Torchwood to territories such as Korea, Japan, Italy, Spain, Israel, Russia and across Latin America will distribute the new series to broadcasters globally.

While previous series were based on location in Cardiff, Wales, this new installment will feature locations in Wales, the US and around the world.

The series was originally commissioned and produced in 2006 by BBC Cymru Wales, with the latest high octane series, Torchwood: Children of Earth capturing UK audiences of more than 6 million.

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

REX MATHESON (Mekhi Phifer)
He’s the golden boy. The embodiment of the American dream and has been all his life. Harvard education, Rex is destined for success and could make a fortune in Wall Street or Hollywood, but he chose the C.I.A. because he believes in justice and will fight for it. He can talk his way into anything, then charm his way out, fast. This may be just what he needs as he joins forces with Jack and Gwen to fight a global mystery behind “Miracle Day” that has them racing from one crisis to another, dodging assassins, blackmail, corruption and conspiracy, from Washington to Wales and the slums of Shanghai.

CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS (John Barrowman)
Jack looks like a hero. He’s handsome, witty and subversive with a killer smile. But there’s a reason for that glint in his eye. His dashing style hides a secret. Truth is Jack Harkness is immortal, the only one of his kind. He once ran the Torchwood Institute, a British organization dedicated to fighting the strange and bizarre. But Torchwood closed down, and Jack disappeared, to start yet another of his many new lives. When a new, epic danger affects the whole planet, Jack finds himself back at the center of events, fighting not just for his own life, but for everyone on Earth.

GWEN COOPER (Eve Myles)
Gwen once lived the ultimate double life – the funny, salty, earthy woman who loves home and family, combined with the tough, ruthless warrior, who loves the thrill of the fight. She was the heart and soul of an organization called Torchwood. She was a defender of the human race. But now she lives in seclusion, with her devoted husband Rhys and baby Anwen, knowing that one day trouble would come calling again. When events surrounding “Miracle Day” push Gwen to the limit, she’ll need to call on resources she never knew she had and make the most terrible decisions, on behalf of all mankind.

ESTHER DRUMMOND (Alexa Havins)
Esther is an innocent, in a world of assassins, liars and zealots. She got where she is with the C.I.A through diligence and application. Hard work keeps Esther focused but she still dreams of active duty as a field agent serving her country. The dream is going to happen faster than she thinks and in no time at all, Esther finds herself running alongside Jack, Gwen and Rex, living off the grid, gun in hand, fighting a global conspiracy against enemies ranging from big business to the state. It’s a tough, brutal, hard lifestyle where survival is hard won and life-changing choices have to be made.

OSWALD DANES (Bill Pullman)
Well-educated and a former school teacher, Oswald’s a convicted child killer, both guilty and unrepentant. But when Oswald survives his own execution, he’s given a whole new life. The most infamous man in the world, he becomes the most provocative figure in modern media. He’s a flare, reviled yet mesmerizing, whose very existence embodies how the world changed on “Miracle Day”.

DR. VERA JUAREZ (Arlene Tur)
An attending surgeon in Washington D.C., she’s smart, fast talking and hard working, Vera is on the frontline of medical care on “Miracle Day”. As the world crisis grows, Vera’s surgical and ER experience sees her recruited to advise on government think-tanks until she has to make a moral choice of enormous consequence. Sexy, confident and passionate, Vera’s life is soon inextricably tangled up with Rex’s.