Godzilla vs. the Devil
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Godzilla vs. the Devil (ゴジラ対デビル Gojira tai Debiru) was a supposed late-1970s Godzilla film proposal. First reported in a 1978[4] issue of the fanzine Japanese Giants, the project was stated to be a $4 million co-production between Toho and Henry G. Saperstein of United Productions of America, written by Reuben Bercovitch.[1] The first issue of Fangoria, from 1979, added that its release was projected for that year,[3] though this did not come to fruition. It was advertised at least once more in a 1981 issue of Famous Monsters of Filmland.[2]
The project's existence has been debated among Western Godzilla fans, due in part to Godzilla creator Tomoyuki Tanaka's denial of it in 1980.[1][5]
Description
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The evil in the world gives birth to a number of monsters, among them a gigantic spider, fish, and bird, all of whom do battle with Godzilla. The climax will supposedly involve a confrontation with Godzilla and Satan himself.
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— Japanese Giants issue #5[1] |
History
Word of Godzilla vs. the Devil first appeared in Japanese Giants #5, published in October 1978.[1][4] The issue reported that UPA's Henry G. Saperstein (who had previously co-produced three kaiju movies between 1965 and 1966) would partner with Toho for a $4 million co-production from a screenplay by Reuben Bercovitch, with a projected runtime of 110 minutes.[1] Another report appeared in the first issue of Fangoria the next year, affirming Saperstein's involvement and the project's title and budget, while adding that it was set to be released that year.[3] However, by 1980, no such film had been released, and Japanese Giants #6 published a statement that September[5] from Godzilla series creator and executive producer Tomoyuki Tanaka in which he denied the rumors of the film's existence.[1] Despite this, Godzilla vs. the Devil was advertised at least once more, in Famous Monsters of Filmland #174 from June 1981.[2]
According to author John LeMay in the 2019 Mutated Edition of his 2017 book The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films, another book entitled Toho Tokusatsu Unpublished Material Archive mentions the project being in preparation "around 1980."[1] He also notes a passage from a 2014 book entitled Godzilla: Toho SPFX Films, in which it is stated that Saperstein had submitted two plot outlines to Toho in 1978; LeMay postulates that these were Godzilla vs. the Devil and another unrealized project entitled Godzilla vs. Gargantua.[6] The project is also mentioned in Steve Ryfle's Japan's Favorite Mon-Star from 1998, though Ryfle remarks that "details were sketchy."[7]
References
This is a list of references for Godzilla vs. the Devil. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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Bibliography
- LeMay, John (27 November 2019). The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies: The Lost Films: Mutated Edition. Bicep Books. ISBN 978-1701683945.
- Ackerman, Forrest J, ed. (June 1981). "GAUNT TOMORROW". Famous Monsters of Filmland. No. 174. Warren Publishing.
- Godziszewski, Ed (August 1979). "Twenty-five Years with Godzilla". Fangoria. No. 1. O'Quinn Studios.
- Ryfle, Steve (1998). Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G". ECW Press. ISBN 1-55022-348-8.
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