*
Though Terry Rossio's draft for the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean film was rejected, he was given story credit for the characters and ultimately landed on the radar for the movie's press machine. During a Pirates interview, The Hollywood Reporter asked about his progress on Godzilla vs. Kong. The head of the upcoming film's writer's room gave a short, but detailed reply regarding the story writing process. What's interesting about his answer is that he speaks of it in past-tense. This could imply his part with the film is done--Or perhaps he's just recieved as much as he needs out of the writer's room:
Godzilla versus Kong was my first experience running a writer's room, and it was fantastic. It was a blast reading samples, meeting different writers, and crafting a story in a group setting. It felt similar to animation, where the film is happening up on the walls, and the end result is better than any one person could accomplish on their own. [1]
It's encouraging Rossio felt so positive about the experience. The writer was responsible for the original vision of Tristar's Godzilla, which was to be directed by Jan De Bont in 1994. That story included a more traditional Godzilla which battled a monster known as the "Gyphon". Tristar passed on this version of the film due to budget concerns. Rossio still got story credit for the wildly different 1998 movie directed by Roland Emmerich, but he laments that was only due to Writers Guild loopholes.
Yes, we worked on it [Godzilla], but our script got thrown out. We got story credit because they kept some basic elements — but in our draft, Godzilla fought a second monster, and kicked his ass.[2]
Hopefully this time the final product will be closer to Rossio's "ass kicking" Godzilla he envisioned in 1994.
What do you think of Rossio's report about the Godzilla vs. Kong writer's room? Sound off in the comments below.
--
Sources:
[1] The Hollywood Reporter - Original 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Screenwriter on How a Budget Crisis Changed the Villains
[2] SciFi Japan - Godzilla Unmade: The History of Jan De Bont's Unproduced Tristar Film
*Header image created by MagaraMe on Deviantart.
