"Monsters" director Gareth Edwards ("Monsters") is ready to make another creature feature, as the British filmmaker will direct "Godzilla" for Legendary Pictures, the company behind "The Dark Knight" and "Inception" has confirmed to TheWrap.
Edwards will develop the project and work with a new writer to revise David Callaham's original screenplay. He earned Hollywood's attention with his low-budget sci-fi film "Monsters," which was made for well under $1 million. The film follows two characters as they make their way across Mexico, parts of which have been quarantined due to an infestation of aliens that are only partially shown onscreen.
Edwards always intended for "Monsters" to serve as a showcase for his talents behind the camera, hoping it would lead to higher-profile projects. Legendary execs fell under his spell and decided he'd be the right filmmaker to introduce "Godzilla" to a new generation of moviegoers.
Warner Bros. will co-produce, co-finance and distribute "Godzilla" through its deal with Legendary, whose Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni will produce along with Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Brian Rogers.
Legendary acquired the rights to the "Godzilla" franchise from Japan's Toho Co. in March 2010, which is around the same time that "Monsters" debuted at SXSW. The film was distributed in the U.S. by Magnet Releasing in October.
Edwards is currently writing an epic sci-fi project for producer Timur Bekmambetov that he also plans to direct.
Edwards is represented by WME and his involvement in "Godzilla" was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter.
