1. Gareth Edwards
In January of 2011, Warner Brothers announced that little known director Gareth Edwards would helm their new Godzilla reboot. I, and many others, read the news and immediately thought, Who? Further investigation revealed that he had directed one film prior to his being hired, a small little film ironically titled
Monsters. Curious, I eventually got around to watching it on Netflix. While the film itself was decent, with some good character development, the most impressive aspect of the film was how little money he spent on it. He reportedly only spent under $500,000 on the entire picture. For anyone who has seen the film, this is astonishing. The film is a perfect example of on the fly filmmaking, with many non-actors occupying extra roles, an insanely small crew, and all the special effects rendered by Edwards himself. When watching the film, none of this is made apparent, making the results all the more impressive. The film also boasts an equally impressive ability to remain grounded with its characters amidst a fantastical situation. All this demonstrates a director motivated by passion and creativity who doesnt allow a lack of budget to stand in his way, an invaluable trait for a director to have. One may not look at
Monsters and immediately think he is the best director to make a Godzilla film, but his ingenuity, determination, and focus on small scale matters within large scale situations certainly makes this fan optimistic. Instead of going for the obvious, like Roland Emmerich, WB is taking risks with new talent. Like with
Batman Begins and Christopher Nolan, they are looking at lesser known directors and trusting them to rejuvenate a long running franchise. Its risky, but has the potential to pay off immensely. Edwards is also a true
Godzilla fan, another comforting characteristic. While new blood is important, it is also important to hire a director who has a passion for the material. Its clear from
interviews, his appearance at Comic-Con, and the teaser trailer he created himself that this is indeed that case. His first major film is called
Monsters, for crying out loud! He obviously likes the giant monster genre, but also recognizes that good characters are equally important to special effects and spectacle. From all this, it is clear why WB choose Edwards for the job. Hes efficient, passionate, determined, and a Godzilla fan. Despite all the positive news emerging from this project, his hiring is the single best news to be revealed so far. At this moment, there is much to be looking forward to on the Godzilla front. Are you excited for the Godzilla reboot? Feel free to leave a comment down below, and thanks for reading!