Cancelled Mothra Movie Changed Godzilla Forever

The outcome of a single Mothra film significantly influenced the course of the Godzilla films in the 1990s. Often referred to as the Heisei series, this specific group of movies presented a grueling journey for the King of Monsters, where he faced threats both inspired by his classic battles and entirely new adversaries. Unlike other Godzilla series produced by Toho that were mostly standalone stories, the Heisei franchise was a continuous narrative, with the aftermath of each battle affecting the subsequent film.

The villains and monsters associated with Godzilla’s world that are widely recognized today were primarily established earlier on, but it’s indisputable that the series from the 1990s significantly impacted Godzilla’s history and added substantial layers to his mythos. It introduced Godzilla’s flaming form, debuted Destoroyah and SpaceGodzilla, reverted him back to his darker persona from the 1950s, among other things. Yet, much of what it brought about for Godzilla might have transpired if Toho had proceeded with a standalone Mothra film in 1989. In hindsight, this choice represents a crucial turning point in the Godzilla saga.

Toho Wanted To Make A Mothra Solo Movie In 1989

Bagan vs. Godzilla Was Originally Going To To Be The Studio’s Follow-Up To Godzilla vs. Biollante

As the production of the second installment in the series, Godzilla vs. Biollante, was underway, Toho came up with a plan to create a spinoff movie starring Mothra as the lead monster character instead of Godzilla. Tomoyuki Tanaka, the creator of Godzilla, intended to produce another film titled Mothra vs. Bagan, where Mothra would battle an original creature named Bagan. This film would have depicted Bagan as a formidable ancient monster, rather than one born from human-caused nuclear activity.

In ancient times, Bagan was believed to be confined within the Himalayan Mountains, much like King Ghidorah in the Monsterverse. The original script for the movie planned for Bagan to be reawakened in modern times, leading to a grand battle with Mothra. Throughout the storyline, Bagan would undergo two transformations, requiring Mothra to confront three distinct versions of the antagonist. Although Bagan possessed immense power and versatile abilities due to his multiple transformations, it was foreseen that Mothra would ultimately emerge victorious in this conflict.

Indeed, it appears that Toho didn’t progress with this particular plan. This might be due to several reasons, one of which was the prolonged development phase. By the time the initial script was completed, the movie “Godzilla vs. Biollante” had already been premiered – unfortunately, not to a favorable box office response.

It appears that Toho might have reassessed their approach for the franchise, potentially leading to the shelving of “Mothra vs. Bagan”. As per John LeMay’s book, “The Big Book of Giant Japanese Monsters”, financial concerns were compounded by the studio’s perception of Mothra’s popularity. Despite Mothra having headlined her own film before (1961’s “Mothra”), Toho was cautious about allowing a monster other than Godzilla to be the main character in one of their kaiju films.

How Cancelling Mothra’s Movie Impacted Toho’s Immediate Plans For Godzilla

Ideas For Mothra vs. Bagan Were Integrated Into Godzilla vs. Mothra

Despite being primarily a spin-off, Toho’s choice to abandon “Mothra vs. Bagan” significantly impacted Godzilla. This is due to the fact that the concepts from the original draft were utilized to pen Toho’s sequel to “Godzilla vs. Biollante.” As noted in Le May’s book, several occurrences depicted in the “Mothra vs. Bagan” draft bear striking resemblance to events in “Godzilla vs. Biollante’s” successor, “Godzilla vs. Mothra.” Given these similarities, it seems that the 1992 film “Godzilla vs. Mothra” was essentially a heavily revised version of the original plan for Mothra vs. Bagan, with Godzilla stepping into the role of the monster initially meant for Bagan, who was intended to wreak havoc on humanity.

As a devoted film enthusiast, I find it fascinating to delve into the alternate universe of Toho’s Godzilla saga. Had it not been for “Godzilla vs. Mothra,” another spinoff titled “Mothra vs. Bagan” was initially planned. This movie would have concluded with an intriguing post-credits scene hinting at the resurrection of none other than Godzilla himself, setting the stage for a future showdown between Godzilla and Bagan. Essentially, “Mothra vs. Bagan” would have served as a continuation not just of its own storyline, but also of “Godzilla vs. Biollante.” In this continuation, the alien origins of Bagan, introduced in the previous film, would have been thoroughly explored.

How The 1990s Godzilla Franchise Might Have Been Different If He Had Fought Bagan

Would Godzilla Have Still Died Fighting Destoroyah And Saved His Son From SpaceGodzilla?

If Toho had carried out their initial plan for Bagan’s two appearances in movies during the 1990s, the selection of Godzilla films might have looked quite distinct, possibly omitting several of his adversaries. Without a doubt, Battra wouldn’t have been part of it because he was earmarked for the alternate film “Godzilla vs. Mothra“. It’s probable that Mecha-King Ghidorah would also not have featured in the Heisei series, as Toho chose to produce “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah” instead of the unnamed Godzilla-Bagan movie.

The impact of introducing the character Bagan into the Godzilla series might not have stopped at just one film, and could potentially influence subsequent movies as well. According to LeMay’s book, Toho initially planned a four-part Godzilla saga, with “Mothra vs. Bagan” and “Godzilla versus Bagan” serving as the first two parts. Although the specifics of the remaining installments are unclear, the fact that it was conceived as a “four-part” story suggests that Bagan played a significant role in shaping the overall narrative arc.

In essence, if the initial four-movie storyline featuring Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah hadn’t been developed, it’s likely that these last two movies in the series wouldn’t have existed. The concept, involving a crossover spanning four films and an intimidating adversary like Bagan, held a lot of promise. However, one potential drawback could have been a series lacking many of Godzilla’s most memorable moments.

2025-05-20 17:18