UPDATE: Godzilla vs. Evangelion Marketing Collaboration & April Fools Prank

By G. H. (Gman)Godzilla (Toho) NewsLeave a CommentPublished: March 31, 2016

UPDATE: Toho quickly clarified that there is no Godzilla vs. Evangelion movie in the works--Having never seen Toho pull a stint like this I admit it had me almost convinced.

Oricon has confirmed that while no Godzilla vs. Evangelion movie is happening the collaboration and image is real. Advanced ticket holders can still expect to own one of the incredible art pieces pictured above which was created to promote Godzilla: Resurgence and celebrate the anniversary of Hideaki Anno's announcement as the film's director. Well played Toho.

Godzilla: Resurgence tickets go on sale April 23rd. Check out the original article below:

Original Article:
And just like that, two fandoms lose their minds. To be clear, while writing this, I wish I had come up with it on my own. I really do. If I were to pull an April Fools joke, claiming a “Godzilla vs. Evangelion” movie is in the works would be crazy enough to assure readers a prank had been played, but close enough to current events to fool the gullible. (What with Neon Genesis Evangelion director Hideaki Anno helming Godzilla: Resurgence.) If it's a joke, Toho's beat us to it. If it's not a joke it may be one of the strangest crossovers announced yet.

Godzilla: Resurgence, aka, Shin-Godzilla, tickets go on sale April 23rd in Japan. Advanced ticket holders will be given a “Godzilla vs. Evangelion” print (shown above), which is currently pictured on the official Shin-Godzilla website. Only 55,555 prints exist, so supplies are limited. Kaiju Battle reports other merchandise such as t-shirts and posters will be released and the official Evangelion website is also involved in the promotion.

However, Toho's official Godzilla Twitter posted an announcement of a theatrical production titled, Godzilla vs. Evangelion:

Fans across the pond are of course very suspicious. Today is April 1st in Japan and North America typically associates the date with April Fools. Tomorrow many media-news outlets will have their fun with fake news stories that will undoubtedly catch some poor souls off guard.

But Japan doesn't observe April 1st in the same way North America does. April 1st is the beginning of the Japanese fiscal year—Many big announcements will be made from various businesses and studios that are quite true. Some Godzilla fans may remember that the announcement of Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi's involvement with Godzilla: Resurgence was made on April 1st. So it's possible... this is real.

Now I have no doubt Toho is aware of April Fools Day in some capacity and they may in fact be having some fun, but given their track record it's hard to say. That hasn't stopped western fans, including myself, from tempering their hype. If it is real, some suggest the movie may be an animated production or even a short film played before Godzilla: Resurgence.

We'll see how this plays out. In the meantime... Godzilla vs. Evangelion? What in the world? And is the Godzilla vs. Evangelion art indicative of the rest of Shin-Godzilla's design? Sound off in the comments below.

--
Toho's Official Godzilla Twitter
Official Shin-Godzilla Website
Official Evangelion Website
Gormaru Island
Kaiju Battle
Oricon

More to explore from Toho: