Gareth Edward’s 2014 Godzilla is a reboot of Toho Co., Ltd.’s Godzilla franchise. The film was the 30th film of the Japanese franchise and the second Godzilla film entirely produced by a Hollywood studio. The Godzilla franchise comprises 38 films, of which Toho Co., Ltd made 33, and TriStar Pictures produced five.
In the first few films, Godzilla represented America, the nuclear bomb, and the fears of the Japanese people. In the most recent film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), the film represented coexistence with nature and the environment. That’s the reason why people like Godzilla because the film is more than a big monster destroying things.
The movie features Holywood’s renowned celebrities like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, and Bryan Cranston. But it looks like Cranston (well known for playing Walter White in Breaking Bad) didn’t like Edward’s Godzilla script and played the role of Scientist Brody with all his heart.
Gareth Edward’s Godzilla (2014) Wasted the Character of Bryan Cranston
Earning $529 million worldwide (against a production budget of $160 million), no doubt Godzilla (2014) seemed far away from a flop as it was primed for box office success.
However, one of the film’s most debated decisions was to kill Cranston’s character (scientist Joe Brody), right at the beginning, despite him being presented as a major character in the film. This resulted in his son, Ford Brody ( Aaron Taylor-Johnson), taking on the protagonist’s role. The twist caught audiences completely off-guard – that too unexpectedly.
Some have expressed that Cranston was underutilized in Godzilla, and some argued that his character was wasted. Even Cranston himself agreed that the scientist’s death was a “bad narrative.”
Why Did Bryan Cranston Ask Gareth Edward to Change Godzilla‘s Script?
While talking in The Nerdist podcast shortly after the film’s release, Bryan Cranston expressed his agreement with the fans and critics who felt that his character’s death was a blunder. He told the podcast:
“That character dying at that time was a mistake. I knew it when I read it.”
The actor continued:
“When I read it I said, ‘Oh, page 50 this character who was the emotional core at the center, that was guiding the audience in the story up to that point – he dies?’ What a waste… They kind of dealt with it poorly, that’s my only criticism of it because I think it was a fun movie, it was a very successful movie”.
Cranston told them that even if he wasn’t playing the scientist role, he (Joe Brody) should not die then. The Breaking Bad actor believed that the character’s death isn’t just a good narrative choice and doesn’t make sense in the story.
But the makers had already progressed too much with the idea. Cranston was the last one to join because he was busy with Breaking Bad, and the schedules were overlapping. Eventually, he managed to make time and was able to do the movie.
Source: FAR OUT
