King of Monsters: Resurrection of Godzilla
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King of Monsters: Resurrection of Godzilla (KING of MONSTERS ゴジラの復活 Kingu obu Monsutāzu Gojira no Fukkatsu) is an unrealized 1977 proposal for a new Godzilla film. Set to be directed by Jun Fukuda with a screenplay by Ryuzo Nakanishi, the film would have revived the Godzilla series following its nine-year hiatus begun after the release of Terror of Mechagodzilla. Elements from this story eventually contributed to The Return of Godzilla in 1984.
Plot
While sailing near the Marshall Islands, the Joufuku-maru strangely capsizes thanks to a mysterious whirlpool. Only Captain Ryuzo and his sons remain, the other crew members killed by tick-like creatures named "Shockula", who then go after the family, killing Ryuzo and one of his sons. The remaining son, Isamu, manages to escape, but not before seeing a giant rock that appeared to be breathing. Not long after, he is rescued by a passing boat. Not long later, disaster strikes the area again as the Taisho-maru is suddenly bathed in flames in the area. Masao Tachibana, Chief of Security Intelligence, Science and Technology, hears the news, and discovers that the Taisho-maru was dumping illegal nuclear energy from the Nankai Nuclear Power Plant.
Joining with Isamu to learn more, Tachibana heads to the wreckage of the Joufuku-maru, where Isamu sees the remains of his father and brother, but does not see the breathing rock. Tachibana suspects that it may have to do with Godzilla, a monster his father had once researched. His hunch is proven correct as Godzilla appears not long after the expedition is completed, along with another Shockula crawling ashore and going on a killing spree. Much later, the Nankai Power Plant is taken over by terrorists, who attempt to build nuclear weapons from plutonium to remind Japan of their horror; accusing them of forgetting what had happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, they do not get far, as Godzilla comes ashore and destroys where the bombs are being created. Drawn to the lights of Hamamatsu City, he begins to destroy it, but is drawn away by the Self Defense Force and heads back to see. Sadly, many innocents perish in the attack, two of them being Tachibana's wife and newborn child.
It's theorized Godzilla was attracted by the constant pump of nuclear energy, and that the Nankai Nuclear Power Plant will be his next target. Submarines find the King of the Monsters on the seafloor and attack, but do no damage as Godzilla resurfaces. The monster heads to the Nankai Power Plant as predicted, and Tachibana orders flares to be thrown, hoping they would distract Godzilla like the lights of Hamamatsu. However, they do not work, and the power plant is destroyed before Godzilla turns his eyes to the city of Shizuoka. A forced blackout thankfully leaves the city unharmed, while illuminated helicopters lead Godzilla out to sea. Meanwhile, Tachibana devises a new plan to trap Godzilla at Mount Mihara, using the plutonium as bait. Isamu volunteers to help, captaining the now-plutonium loaded boat. As the ship leaves port, Godzilla suddenly bursts out of Suruga Bay and gives chase. The vessel docks at the recently evacuated Izu Oshima, as a truck carries the plutonium up the mountain. Godzilla reaches the plutonium, and the trap is sprung with nearby explosives detonated. While the trap scorches Godzilla's hide, he ultimately manages to escape, tumbling down the mountain and escaping into the sea.
Spotted recovering at Bikini Atoll, countries of the globe launch an all-out assault on the nuclear menace, including bombers, battleships, and a Soviet nuclear submarine. It is an experimental ALCM carrying a nuke brought in from the United States that ends the threat. Once the bomb drops, Godzilla is blown away from the impact, which simultaneously destroys the entire atoll. Watching the strike, Tachibana comments: "Godzilla is a monster and not a living thing. As long as nuclear weapons exist in the world, it won't die." And indeed, several months later, Godzilla appears on the West Coast of the United States, once again aiming for a nuclear power plant.[1][2][3]
History
After Terror of Mechagodzilla was released in 1975, the Godzilla series entered a nine-year hiatus. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka planned to resume the series, and quickly rushed King of Monsters: Resurrection of Godzilla into production once the proposal was submitted in 1977. Jun Fukuda was set to direct the film while Ryuzo Nakanishi was to write the screenplay, with Tanaka producing. For whatever reason, the production was abandoned, and the writer-director-producer team ended up working on The War in Space instead. Still, elements from King of Monsters: Resurrection of Godzilla would end up resurfacing in later proposals, specifically the concept of a solo Godzilla film in which Godzilla is once again a villain, attacking a nuclear power plant, and a trap at Mount Mihara. These elements would be key in deciding the direction of the end result of Tanaka's series resumption plan: The Return of Godzilla. The monster Shockirus may have also first gotten its start from the "Shockula" in this draft, albeit only one instead of many appearing, and it being a giant sea louse rather than a giant tick.[1]
Trivia
- While the movie as a whole was thought of in 1977, the script from above was from 1980, from a screenplay submission created by Akira Murao. The first draft was written by Ryuzo Nakanishi, and a second one was also helmed by Murao in 1978.
- Shockula's name may or may not be based on Dracula.
References
This is a list of references for King of Monsters: Resurrection of Godzilla. 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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