If you thought the heaving Godzilla of the westernised 2014 reboot was all computer trickery, well, it turns out at least one kaiju in the sequel will have a human element underneath the digital layers of monster goodness: the golden, three-headed legend that is King Gidorah.
King Gidorah, as it appeared in 1991’s Godzilla vs King Gidorah.Image: Toho
The Wrap reports that motion capture actor Jason Liles, fresh off his recent performance as George the Gorilla in Rampage, will provide the mocap for one of Godzilla’s most famous foes in the upcoming sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
The golden, armless dragon Gidorah made its first appearance in Toho’s 1964 film Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, where its plan to destroy the Earth was halted by a three-way teamup between Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra. Ever since, it’s been one of the Big G’s most famous foes.
It’s not the first time that mocap will have been used in the rebooted franchise — Andy Serkis provided some for key moments with Godzilla in the 2014 movie, but the King of all Kaiju’s performance was otherwise mostly animated by effects house MPC.
The Wrap’s report doesn’t detail just how extensive Liles’ work into bring the character will be, but it’s a piece of news that reminds us that there are actually going to be actors helping to bring these iconic creatures to life underneath all the impressive visual magic. It almost harkens back to the “guy in a suit” era of monster movies that Godzilla was a huge part of in the first place, when you think about it.