In the last couple of weeks there’s been much talk about the fact Godzilla is gearing up to shoot this spring, but so far the movie has no cast. It appears they’re planning the remedy that, as Deadline reports that Aaron Johnson has been offered the lead in the movie.
Apparently the young Brit wants to do it, but nothing will be set in stone until a more final script is available. Earlier this week The Walking Dead creator Frank Darabont signed up to rewrite the screenplay, so no deal will be signed until Frank has done his work. David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight Rises), Max Borenstein (The Seventh Son), and Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3) have previously worked on the screenplay.
There’s also a legal battle brewing over producer credit and compensation. Ealier this week Warner and Legendary Pictures dropped Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Doug Davison from the film. Apparently expecting a legal battle that could delay production, Warner has pre-emptively sued the men, saying the trio didn’t do enough work on the movie to deserve the money they’d earn if they’d got a producing credit. Instead they want to pay them just $25,0000.
It’s expected Lee, Lin and Davison will fight back, as they were involved early on in securing the rights and introducing the first screenwriter. They’re likely to say that while their plot ideas weren’t used, there’d be no movie at all without the groundwork they laid down. We’ll have to see how the legal battle pans out.
Godzilla comes to cinemas May 16th, 2014.