The first Godzilla movie was released in Japan in 1954, and while a version was distributed in Japanese-American communities in 1955, it didn't enjoy wide release in America until 1956, when it was edited to include newly filmed scenes with the Hollywood star Raymond Burr and retitled Godzilla: King of the Monsters! But audiences everywhere couldn't get enough of Godzilla, and soon sequels were being proposed by movie studios and Japan and Hollywood alike. In addition to a plethora of new antagonists for Godzilla to face off against, a number of crossovers that would offer battles between Godzilla and other existing monsters and characters were suggested over the years.
The success of the original movie meant that the large Japanese studio that produced the original, Toho Company Ltd., began developing concepts for sequels to Godzilla soon after the original was released, and as a result, there are decades worth of unproduced concepts and scripts concerning the most well-known daikaiju. While many of the concepts were eventually developed into movies that were released, some of the most intriguing ideas in the unproduced movies have yet to drag themselves out of the ocean and make their way to the multiplex. Thanks to the success of the 2014 Godzilla, the 2019 sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is making its way toward a big, big screen near you. However, there are plenty of incredibly interesting concepts for unmade movies that would be far more interesting. Here are 20 unmade Godzilla movies better than what we got!
20 GODZILLA VS KING KONG
Godzilla is one of the three san daikaiju, the most powerful of the kaiju, and King Kong the enormous gorilla achieved near-mythic status himself thanks to the iconic Empire State Building-climbing climax of 1933's King Kong. A battle was inevitable!
But while the inevitable face-off occurred in 1963's King Kong vs. Godzilla, Toho considered remaking the movie with the title Godzilla vs King Kong in 1990. In part, this decision was motivated by the fact the original had been their most profitable production, and the studio hoped to recoup losses after the poor performance of 1989's Godzilla vs. Biollante. While the film was scrapped before production, 2020 will see the release of Godzilla vs. Kong, demonstrating the enduring popularity of this monstrous pairing!
19 GODZILLA VS. MECHANI-KONG
Godzilla vs. Mechani-Kong was an unproduced follow-up to 1991's Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. In order to protect Japan from future attacks by Godzilla, a scientist named Dr. Who built a giant robot gorilla known as Robot Kong.
In most of his incarnations, Mechani-Kong resembles a metallic version of giant ape King Kong. Robot Kong appearing in the 1966 animated King Kong Show and later climbed onto big screens with the 1967 movie King Kong Escapes. Toho wanted to revive the simian robot for the King Ghidorah sequel in 1992, but legal restraints prevented Mechanic-Kong from appearing to face off against Godzilla and this proposed sequel ultimately went unmade.
18 A SPACE GODZILLA
This unproduced movie was released as a short story in 1979 in the magazine Starlog. Godzilla is dealing with diabetes and washes up on the shore Japan at the same time that a mysterious deep-space signal is detected in Arizona. Scientists are able to psychically communicate with Godzilla's brain and discover that Godzilla is an intelligent extraterrestrial from the planet from which the deep-space signals originated.
The scientists discover that Godzilla's actual name is Rozan and that she is pregnant with an unborn child. Scientists help convert Rozan into a spaceship and send her and her child back to the Godzilla Planet, where they are united with Rozan's husband, Kunin.
17 GODZILLA REBORN
Godzilla Reborn was an unproduced American sequel to the Toho-produced movie Godzilla 2000: Millennium. While the sequel would have been made in Hollywood, the plan was to use the traditional person-in-costume approach to the monster, even going to far as to work with some of Toho's special effects experts.
Using traditional special effects for the daikaiju would have allowed Godzilla Reborn to be produced at a cost of $20 million, a relatively inexpensive production by Hollywood standards. While Toho approved the script, which was set in Hawaii, with minor changes, but the head of Colombia studios passed on the idea and this sequel was never made.
16 GODZILLA 3D TO THE MAX
Godzilla 3D to the Max was a planned 3D IMAX movie that never made it out of production due to the high budget associated with the production of IMAX movies. With an expected length of only 40 minutes as a result of the special format, the movie was to be made using 70 mm film and co-helmed by Godzilla vs. Hedorah director Yoshimitsu Banno.
The plot would have seen Godzilla facing off against new monster Deathla in a series of fights across the United States, culminating in a battle royale in Las Vegas -- which would have afforded quite the spectacle in three dimensions on an oversized IMAX screen!
15 GODZILLA VS. THE SPACE MONSTERS: EARTH DEFENSE DIRECTIVE
Originally planned for release in 1972, Godzilla vs. the Space Monsters: Earth Defense Directive followed a battle between Godzilla and three opposing monsters: Gigan, King Ghidorah, and Megalon! It was ultimately revealed that the three antagonistic aliens were having their actions controlled by evil space brain Miko!
Although this movie was never made, Megalon, King Ghidorah, and Gigan each eventually made appearances on the big screen in later films. Fortunately, a theme park attraction called "Godzilla Tower" that appeared in the script for Earth Defense Directive also managed to be included in a movie that was actually produced, appearing in Godzilla vs. Gigan.
14 GODZILLA VS. M
An astronaut returns to earth after being involved in a strange accident in orbit. During his subsequent hospitalization, his body begins to transform! Afraid that his daughter will witness his horrible transmogrification, the astronaut flees into the forests surrounding Mount Fuji.
Despite his unwholesome new appearance, the astronaut, now known by the moniker "M," retains his human mind. As such, he emerges from the wilderness to protect Japan when Godzilla emerges from the ocean and rebuffs the Army's attempt to repel the daikaiju! M rises to the occasion and is able to defeat Godzilla, but his daughter does not survive, and at the conclusion M vanishes into the ocean, heartbroken.
13 GODZILLA LEGEND: THE ASUKA FORTRESS
Little is known about Godzilla Legend: The Asuka Fortress aside from the original plan to produce it and the title. After Godzilla had been absent for 7 years, since Terror of Mechagodzilla, Toho was eager to bring the daikaiju back to the silver screen. While it was based on a concept proposed by Toho veteran Shinichi Sekizawa, this sequel would not prove successful.
The plot was to revolve around a battle between a giant robot built by the Japanese Army and Godzilla. Unfortunately, this planned 1979 movie didn't even manage to make it far enough into production to result in the commission of concept art.
12 GODZILLA VS MECHAMOTHRA
Godzilla vs. MechaMothra was a planned sequel to Godzilla vs. Mothra. The plot saw Mothra being defeated, only to be resurrected thanks to the monster's conversion to a cyborg. While concept art for MechaMothra was produced, it was described as more closely resembling a cyborg dragonfly than a cyborg Mothra.
It is not known whether MechaMothra would have been Godzilla's ally or antagonist, but the concept of a monster being brought back to life as a cyborg after being defeated by Godzilla was utilized by Mecha-King Ghidorah, the resurrected version of King Ghidorah that traveled back from the future after being revitalized in the 23rd century.
11 GODZILLA VS. REDMOON
In Godzilla vs. Redmoon, a brand new kaiju appears on an island in the Okinawa chain at the same time another kaiju emerges from the surface of the moon and then travels to earth. Hoping that the two kaiju will defeat one another, the Japanese Self Defense Force leads them to one another.
Unfortunately, the kaiju are not inclined to fight with one another -- they are inclined to mate with one another! The problem is further exacerbated when the resulting offspring is snatched away, causing the two adult kaiju to go berserk. Fortunately, Godzilla arrives in time to battle the two monsters and bring peace once again.
10 MICRO SUPER BATTLE: GODZILLA VS. GIGAMOTH
The unmade Micro Super Battle: Godzilla vs. Gigamoth would have seen Godzilla facing off against a giant antagonistic moth at the same time that a team of scientists take a fantastic voyage after being injected inside Godzilla!
The plot saw the United States construct the giant robot Mechani-Kong to battle Godzilla after the daikaiju emerged from the ocean to began attacking America. In the ensuing battle, Mechani-Kong's radioactive reactor is damaged, and the radiation creates Gigamoth, who joins the battle between the monsters as the scientists attempt to defeat Godzilla from within. While the giant moth aspect was utilized in 1992's Godzilla vs. Mothra, the fantastic voyage regrettably never made it to movie theaters.
9 GIANT MONSTERS CONVERGE ON OKINAWA! SHOWDOWN IN ZANPAMISAKI
While a concept for Giant Monsters Converge on Okinawa! Showdown in Zanpamisaki was written, most of the elements suggested for the movie were entirely reworked before incorporated into subsequent movies.
The original story saw a race of aliens known as the Garuga who conquer Earth before turning around and selling it whichever hostile alien race offers the highest bid. In order to keep the earthlings in line, the aliens construct a giant robot beneath Zanpamisaki, but the combined forces of Godzilla, Anguirus, and Mothra are able to repel the aliens and bring peace back to the surviving citizens of the planet.
8 GODZILLA VS. GAMERA
Godzilla vs. Gamera never reached production, but it would have been a crossover collaboration between Toho and the Kadokawa Corporation, the studio that produced the movies starring Gamera. Gamera first appeared in 1965's Gamera, the Giant Monster, and Kadokawa hoped to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the studio's most famous kaiju with a showdown against the world's most famous daikaiju.
Unfortunately for Gamera fans, this concept was frozen in development shortly after Kadokawa approached Toho to propose the idea in 1992, as Toho was uninterested in producing the crossover. However, fans can take solace in the fact that Godzilla and Gamera did face one another in a 1970 live stage show.
7 BRIDE OF GODZILLA?
An early sequel originally planned for release in 1956, Bride of Godzilla? utilized the somewhat familiar Godzilla trope of a giant robot in a singular and arresting way. Drawing on the experience he gained while constructing a robot fashioned after his wife, Dr. Shida decides to build a giant robot that resembles his foster daughter to fight Anguirus and Godzilla.
During the ensuing battle between Robot Daughter and the monsters, it is discovered that the planet is hallowed, and many creatures like Godzilla live within the Earth. But it turns out that Robot Daughter was a disguised bomb all along, and she detonates at the center of the Earth.
6 GODZILLA VS. ASTROGODZILLA
In Godzilla vs. AstroGodzilla, an early draft of the concept that eventually became Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, the legendary daikaiju encounters an extraterrestrial clone named AstroGodzilla. AstroGodzilla sported a chrome appearance, the ability to transform into a rocket ship to travel among the stars, and commanded an army of giant intergalactic dragonflies.
In one of the planned action setpieces for the movie, AstroGodzilla was to lead his army of giant space dragonflies in an attack on Little Godzilla, Godzilla's offspring. But the invasion of Birth Island was to be repelled by Godzilla, who would appear to defend Little Godzilla from the extraterrestrial onslaught.
5 BATMAN VS. GODZILLA
In Batman vs. Godzilla, also known as Batman Meets Godzilla, this proposed collaboration between Toho and an American studio would have allowed Gotham's greatest detective to encounter the iconic daikaiju!
Intended to be a sequel to the original Batman movie, a 22-page treatment for the film was drafted, which saw Bruce Wayne having a visit to Tokyo interrupted by an attack from Godzilla. Batman responds by using a number of gadgets and vehicles to subdue Godzilla and save the day! While the movie was unfortunately never made, the written treatment is currently part of the Dozier collection at the University of Wyoming.
4 GODZILLA VS. GHOST GODZILLA
In the mid-90's, with the impending release of the American GODZILLA, Toho decided that they were going to bring the production of Godzilla movies to a close until 2005, and because they wanted to give the series a suitable temporary finale, they came up with a truly fascinating concept: Ghost Godzilla!
In Godzilla vs. Ghost Godzilla, the titular daikaiju was to face off against the ghost of Godzilla from the very first Godzilla movie, released in 1954. The ghost of Godzilla had been created in the moment that the original Godzilla was destroyed, and as a result, wants to destroy all of mankind!
3 ALL MONSTERS ATTACK DIRECTIVE
Little is known about the unmade 1968 movie All Monsters Attack Directive. Parts of the film were eventually appropriated into Destroy All Monsters, but the scale of that movie was significantly less extreme than what had been intended for the original.
According to an interview with Ishido Honda, All Monsters Attack Directive was to include "all the monsters." Issued without qualification, the most literal interpretation of this statement suggests an incredibly immense spectrum of monsters! Early concepts described a cast of monsters populated by the offspring of interbreeding kaiju on Monster Island, making the fact that this entirely inclusive monster mash never lumbered into theaters all the more tragic.
2 Frankenstein vs. Godzilla
Thanks to the success of King Kong vs. Godzilla, Toho was eager to find another worthy Hollywood monster to face off against Godzilla in the sequel. One of the ideas that never managed to shamble all the way through development was a face-off with Frankenstein’s monster.
What really made this showdown outstanding was how Frankenstein entered the story: the monster’s heart was exposed to the radiation in Hiroshima and it caused him to spontaneously regenerate, then mutate and grow to enormous kaiju-size! At the end of the story, Frankenstein would fall into a volcanic fissure, while Godzilla would be swept away by water.
1 GODZILLA VS. GODZILLA
Godzilla has faced a cavalcade of antagonistic monsters, including several mechanized or cloned versions of Godzilla. But it stands to reason that the greatest possible challenge Godzilla could ever face would be Godzilla!
In a concept that emerged from the unused screenplay of Godzilla vs. Ghost Godzilla, a bone from the original 1954 Godzilla is unearthed in Tokyo. Soon, an unseen force begins to attack the city at night! Scientists bring Little Godzilla to battle the invisible monster but Little Godzilla becomes possessed by the energy and begins attacking Japan himself. As a result, Godzilla must return and battle Little Godzilla to exorcize the original Godzilla!