Audiences coming to GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS later this month are lining up to see creature-sized chaos on the largest scale possible. But what they’re also going to be treated to, thanks to the contributions of writer/director Michael Dougherty, is an ensemble led by amazing women in powerful lead performances that hold their own alongside some spectacular beasts.
Dougherty spoke about his casting decisions during a post-screening Q&A in Tokyo that was attended by CinemaBlend. The director was asked about casting Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, Lexi Rabe, Sally Hawkins and Ziyi Zhang in key roles, and Dougherty explained that he was just keeping in line with the legacy of past GODZILLA films.
“Honestly, if you go back and look at the history of GODZILLA films, women who kick ass have been a strong part of it from the very, very beginning,” Dougherty said. “You can go back to the original. The Mothra fairies in the old movies are very key characters, and as a kid, that made an impression. But I love those kinds of characters — Ripley and Sarah Connor. They're icons as far as I'm concerned.” Michael Dougherty is right. Both the GODZILLA franchise and science-fiction films in general have introduced audiences to powerful women who have shaped the course of major storylines over the years. By casting memorable female characters, Dougherty is essentially saying that he’s not breaking new ground so much as he is upholding traditions that have been in place in the GODZILLA series, including Hawkins and Elizabeth Olsen in 2014’s GODZILLA.
“I'm glad the rest of the world is catching up,” Dougherty said. “But I feel like there's just a long history of kick-ass women in sci-fi and horror, especially. I just feel like the rest of the world is just now starting to kind of catch on to the idea that it’s an OK thing to happen in mainstream movies.”
In Michael Dougherty’s GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS, Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler play Monarch employees who create the Orca, a machine that allows them to communicate with the Titans: Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah. When an evil organization wants access to the technology, they kidnap Farmiga and her on-screen daughter, Millie Bobby Brown, allowing this movie to focus on a mother-daughter bond as it preaches a lesson about saving the planet.
Of course, there also will be earth-shattering special effects and global-scale devastation, as witnessed in the most recent trailer:
Soon, you will be able to see GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS for yourself, as the sequel is roaring into theatres on May 31. How will this movie tease out next year’s GODZILLA VS. KONG? Grab your tickets to this one and find out.
