Monster Zero x SciFi Japan - Archive Only

With the success of Godzilla, do you guys think other American companies will try to cash in on Godzilla? Like after the success of Transformers, we got crap like Battleship and other ridiculous toy movies in the works. You think other American companies will try? I know I heard years ago Disney (?) wanted to make a Gamera movie or something. There was also an American Ultraman TV series. I think Power Rangers might be coming back or something?

Lionsgate and Saban is trying to whip up a Power Rangers movie. Now that Tsuburaya is out of debt they want to do a big, international push for Ultraman. Gamera is apparently coming back in Japan, but - yeah, I could see a Western version as something that could possibly happen.

Legendary would have first claim to all the Toho stuff, right? I mean, some other company isn't going to snatch up Mothra rights or something?

American versions of Gamera and Ultraman?

Please, no.

oh please let is be so

To me, Ultraman is something that's so inherently Japanese that I can't see it working in this country at all. Godzilla? Sure. Ultraman? Hell no.

It doesn't hurt to have more of something. If you don't wind up liking it, then just watch the stuff you do like.

If someone wants to do an American Gamera, Ultraman, Yonggary, Daimajin...whatever. I still like the stuff we had. GINO doesn't detract from my love of Godzilla.

Oh I'm sorry, it was Australian. Damn, it's been quite some time.

Ultraman Powered was American. Ultraman Great was Australian.

And with the right people involved, and if we are seeing a kaiju boom alongside the superhero boom, I wouldn't be surprised if we do see a Hollywood Ultraman.

I'll just be happy if we get Pacific Rim and Godzilla 2014 sequels.

For the record there has been both an Australlian and an American Ultraman. Oddly enough, the "American" Ultraman, Ultraman Powered, never actually played in the states but it DID play in Japan and Australia. To make matters more confusing, the "Australian" Ultraman Towards the Future actually did play in the states!!! Lol.

As far as a more mainstream, big budget Ultraman or Gamera in the US. I'll side with Legion and say no thanks. Moreso to Gamera, who seems too Japanese to convert to a western sensibility without losing some of the core character.

Ultraman, I'm a bit more open to. There have been tons of different versions of Ultraman since 66 so one more certainly wouldn't hurt and I disagree with Legion that he's too Japanese to adapt. A giant superhero that fights giants monsters, while his human host moonlights as a Science Patrol member, doesn't seem THAT outlandish when compared to recent Western films like Pac Rim and Transformers.

Would we lose some of the best elements of Ultraman in the conversion? Probably, which is why I'm not a huge fan of the idea, but it could be done and done well. Can't hurt the franchise anymore than the last several recent Japanese series . At the very least, maybe we'd get more classic Ultraman/Ultraseven/Ultra Q merch in the US if there was a Western film.

Actually, I think Ultraman would adapt rather easily to American TV if it were spun as a fusion of Police Procedural, Sci-Fi/Horror, and Superhero genres. Think like Ultraman meets Agents of SHIELD.

If anything, I think the difficult part would be to find a way to do the giant monsters while still keeping the show within budget. I get the feeling an American Ultraman would probably only save the giant monsters for special episodes (so, the Premiere, Mid-Season, Sweeps, and Finale) and the rest of the time would be facing smaller or more human-sized creatures/aliens.

Then again, if this American Ultraman were produced by HBO, AMC, Showtime, or Netflix we might get more monsters, but even shorter (10 to 13 episode) seasons. (I'm presuming American Ultraman would be a one-hour show, rather than half-hour.)

Definitely an interesting thought. A movie would work too, of course, although it might get lost amidst all the other superhero movies out nowadays.

If done well, an American Ultraman series could make Ultraman more popular in America. It's the same with Kamen Rider, Metal Heroes or any American version of a Japanese character.

^I read that BMD thing on Ultraman earlier today. I wonder if anyone in the comments brings up the elephant in the room (Chaiyo) in regards to why we're not getting a big budget Hollywood Ultraman.

But Ultraman's doing great right now. We just need that stuff more available here, and that's apparently in the works.

Gamera is the one who needs the help making his way back to the big screen.

I'm a little surprised we haven't heard rumblings about a Gamera movie in Hollywood in recent years. If WB picked up Gamera, and the really big IF of Toho approving the whole thing on their end, we have the potential for a long discussed match up of Godzilla and Gamera. But then again, Universal could snag the rights for Gamera and do their own giant monster battle between the Friend of All Children and King Kong.

Guillermo del Toro really loves Gamera, and I think he's got an awesome 'family film' style movie in him waiting to get out (well, it kinda has in Trollhunters, which I need to get around to watching).

Ooo... A Del Toro Gamera movie would be really great, Pacific Rim is easily proof of that.

Gamera is a tough sell. Good luck trying to convince the American public to see a movie about a giant flying turtle.

However once you see it in action for some reason it just makes sense. It's the only animal that wasn't meant to fly and ends up flying and somehow it works.

Gamera has no international value. It's claim to fame in the West is being a laughingstock for some MST3k douchebags.