An American Gamera Movie: How should we do it?

[Gigantis]

I did this for Ultraman, so might as well for Gamera.

The Guardian of the Universe has been mostly dormant these past couple decades, but if Daimajin's return in the Yokai War movie is any indication, it seems like Kadokawa isn't fully done with kaiju flicks, and Gamera would logically be next in line for a redo. Buuuuut that doesn't mean they're gonna make the movie themselves. What if Kadokawa sells the rights to the franchise to an American studio and another company can help bring Gamera back from the dead, and how should it be done?

Alright, director talk first. I know Guillermo Del Toro said he always wanted to tackle the Gamera mythos, so he could be the first choice for director, and could give Gamera and his fellow monsters the massive weight they need. If not him though, i could also see a couple other directors in the chair: Colin Trevorrow, J.A Bayona, people like them. Bayona especially if we wanna give this a more creepy undertone... i mean, Gamera can get kinda disturbing.

Then there's the big turtle himself. I feel like most people here aren't too fond of the idea of giving Gamera a more "realistic" redesign like a turtle beak, and i do agree so we should stay away from that... however, what if we make him more similar to sea turtles? After all, concept art for the 1995 Gamera movie almost had the exact same concept! Plus, it would just look really good. And of course, there's who he could fight. Classic enemies revamped like Gyaos, Barugon and Iris, ooooor just completely new characters to add, not to mention toying with the idea of giving Gamera an ally for once! But i'll leave the rest up to you. What do you want in an American Gamera movie?

[Mr. Yellow]

Sadly, I think the only way this happens if he's tied in with another big name at first...and then have the popularity gauged by said results. He could be a good adversary for Kong in the meantime.

[SoggyNoodles2016]

A Gamera TV series, probably animated.

Not only does this give Gamera a more unique standing then other kaiju reinsurance properties, but the Gamera property would lend well to a Monster of the Week format, as most of the movies have this feel, the extended runtime could give more character explanation and lore build up, and it could create more fans then the risks of a big budget Gameta film.

also I'm still salty we never got the Cartoon Network co produced anime and so this would be the next best thing

[Lesko]

I would say handle Gamera similar to Godzilla. It is possible to have a live action Gamera movie without just feeling like a Godzilla ripoff. Cloverfield did it. Pacific Rim did it. Rampage did it. It will just need a little ingenuity. To make an independent entry from the Monsterverse you would need a premise somewhat different from Godzilla if you don't want it to be a run of the mill Godzilla ripoff. Perhaps make Gamera an alien or the good old fashioned ancient bio-weapon from the Heisei series could work very well. I would hold off on enemy kaiju. Except for perhaps the last act to see why Gamera was a needed bio-weapon in the first place. Or maybe a quick post credits scene. I imagine maybe the military thought they got rid of Gamera only to show a Gyaos or some other monstrosity awaken, hinting that Gamera is indeed the good guy here. So yeah I would go the Venom route. Focus on Gamera and only Gamera with a tease to a villain and the very end.

[Major sssspielberg!]

To be honest, the way Hollywood has handled American things I like, combined with they way they've handled Japanese stuff I like... I don't want Hollywood to get their grubby mitts on my homie Gamera. He's too awesome, nay, dare I say it... too based for Hollywood to do any measure of justice.
If you can't do fucking Ghost in the Shell don't bother with Gamera.

[CrimsonBloodX]

Have Gamera's design be based on the alligator snapping turtle.

Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer.

That's all I got.

[Legendary Gojira]

Since they hinted at it in Godzilla King of the Monsters, and it’s part of his Hesei origins, I’d have Gamera being a experiment/creation of the Atlantean civilization. Maybe created to fend off Gyaoses (Gyaosi?) again, but without making them to be their creations this time.

Keep his flight abilities, since the Monsterverse went away from its original grounded aspects. Keep his plasma power like fireballs (I loved that update from the Showa to Hesei eras). Have him walk around on all fours more, mainly using a bipedal stance only when in combat.

I like this design I saw online:

[Chrispy_G]

Give me an anime film in the 'stylized realism' type of approach of something like Gantz: O...90 minutes. After it performs super well in Japan...bring it to the US with an all-star Voice Cast and have Chris Pratt voice the hero

I do think an approach in the sort of realm of a Beowulf/Gantz:O/Lion King 2019 would be a good way to differentiate it. If the ENTIRE thing is going to be fully CGI but "realistic"...then in that realm, maybe you could 'affordably' get copious amounts of Kaiju screen-time and make sure that ever important "human-to-monster balance" is struck nicely.

Guillermo Del Toro is an easy choice. I'd also love someone like Zack Snyder just because the man just has an insane eye for imagery and action sequences.

Or we could get BUCK WILD and have someone like Genndy Tartakovsky make some super-high quality, super stylized 2D animated film. I know he would relish the opportunity to get into some great kaiju violence and action.

[LegendZilla]

In order to handle the whole child aspect the franchise had since its conception, I think they should model said child characters (Or Kennys if you prefer to call them as such) off of the younger cast of Stranger Things.

[Vakanai]

1. Don't connect it to the MonsterVerse. No plans to cross it over with LegendGoji. In fact just don't let Legendary get it, just to nip the wild fan speculation in the bud.
2. Take inspiration from the 90s trilogy, but don't be beholden to it.
3. Minimize the whole child aspect of it - nix the whole "friend of all children" moniker please.
4. Get a big name celebrity to play the human lead to get butts in seats.
5. A good-ish script. Better than average for the genre here.
6. A good director. Maybe del Toro, he'd have fun with it and is a fan favorite. But just someone good to great known somewhat for genre films.

[Legendary Gojira]

1. Connect it to the MonsterVerse. Cross it over with LegendGoji, though not immediately. Let Legendary get it, let speculation fly.
2. Keep the Atlantean origin from the 90s trilogy, especially since Atlantis has basically been shown to exit in the MonsterVerse.
3. The Friend of All Children moniker is dead. Bury it.
4. Have Houston Brooks (Joe Morton) be the lead.
5. Plot: ancient turtle-like Titan discovered in the Himalayas buried under tons of ice. Near petrified giant simian-like footprints, discovered to be a gigantic yeti. Turtle creature later found out to have connections to Atlantis, named Gamera.
6. Del Toro is the only director I’d trust to make a kick arse Gamera movie for American audiences.

[Voyager]

Gamera join the MCU. Kiddie characters for kiddie films

This is a joke don’t get upset.

[Mac Daddy MM]

Part of the MV, of course. Have the opponent be a non-world ending threat, such as Barugon. This gives reason as to why Godzilla doesn't get involved and just lets it be another Titan squabble.

I do want an after credits scene, however. Perhaps something akin to Gamera minding his own business on a beach somewhere and then the water starts bubbling and loud thuds sound. Gamera awakens and stands up as the water lifts up to reveal Godzilla. Both monsters look at one another for a brief moment before simply turning away. This wouldn't be meant to tease the next movie, a team up or a versus film. It would just be fan service for the monsters to finally see each other for the first time in their franchises.

[Legendary Gojira]

Since they hinted at it in Godzilla King of the Monsters, and it’s part of his Hesei origins, I’d have Gamera being a experiment/creation of the Atlantean civilization. Maybe created to fend off Gyaoses (Gyaosi?) again, but without making them to be their creations this time.

Keep his flight abilities, since the Monsterverse went away from its original grounded aspects. Keep his plasma power like fireballs (I loved that update from the Showa to Hesei eras). Have him walk around on all fours more, mainly using a bipedal stance only when in combat.

I like this design I saw online:

1. Connect it to the MonsterVerse. Cross it over with LegendGoji, though not immediately. Let Legendary get it, let speculation fly.
2. Keep the Atlantean origin from the 90s trilogy, especially since Atlantis has basically been shown to exit in the MonsterVerse.
3. The Friend of All Children moniker is dead. Bury it.
4. Have Houston Brooks (Joe Morton) be the lead.
5. Plot: ancient turtle-like Titan discovered in the Himalayas buried under tons of ice. Near petrified giant simian-like footprints, discovered to be a gigantic yeti. Turtle creature later found out to have connections to Atlantis, named Gamera.
6. Del Toro is the only director I’d trust to make a kick arse Gamera movie for American audiences.

To further flesh out my ideas, after being created to fend off Gyaoses (again, Gyaosi?), Atlantis used Gamera in their rivalry with Shangri-La. Hey, if the Titans can have ancient rivalries, why can’t ancient mythical societies?

Shangri-La had a relationship with yetis, much like the Iwi of Skull Island and the Hollow Earth tribes did with the Kongs. The Shangris had their own exceptional Titan in a gigantic yeti. Think the Great Watchuka from the Hanna-Barbera Godzilla cartoon.

Anyways, as Gamera is off in the Himalayas battling the yeti monster (can’t think of a name for it now), Atlantis is sunk from the Great Cataclysm (possibly caused by some super weapon of Shangri-La?). Gamera is cut off from his source of energy (he uses it to regenerate, much like Godzilla later would, as seen in King of the Monsters), and is defeated in battle by the Yeti monster, frozen in ice by its power and then buried under more ice, left there for thousands of years until discovered by Monarch.

Upon being freed from his frozen prison, Gamera resumes his mission and ancient rivalry with the yeti beast.

I’ve always liked the idea of Godzilla fighting a yeti/Sasquatch creature in a live action movie ever since I was a kid and saw the aforementioned Great Watchuka in the toon and saw Yetrigar in the Marvel Comics Godzilla series. I figure a creature like that would make a great foe for Gamera, too.

[Vakanai]

I'd honestly rather soon see Disney get it and add it to phase 5 of the MCU than see Gamera in the monsterverse.

[Legion1979]

To everyone saying Monsterverse...

Yeah, can we not?

How about Gamera gets to be it's own thing in it's own universe where it won't constantly be in the shadow of more popular monsters like Kong and Godzilla? I don't really want to see an American Gamera but if one had to be done I feel like being a part of the Monsterverse (something we're not even sure is going to have much in the way of post-GvsK legs) would be a curse more than a blessing.

[Major sssspielberg!]

I'd only want to see an American Gamera film if it served to bring a Godzilla/Gamera matchup, or even better, a movie with Godzilla, Gamera, Mothra, Rodan and Kong sharing the screen

[Legendary Gojira]

So we’re all in agreement that Gamera should be in the MonsterVerse? Good.

[Mac Daddy MM]

So we’re all in agreement that Gamera should be in the MonsterVerse? Good.

All except for Legion and the guy with the Netflix Anime Godzilla avatar. Legion's opinion is somewhat valid, but the anime trilogy... Naaaah bruh.


Don't report me, Vaks, I'm only messin'.

[Cryptid_Liker]

So we’re all in agreement that Gamera should be in the MonsterVerse? Good.

Nope.