'The Kaiju Score' Sounds Like 'Ocean's 11' During A Godzilla Attack
If we learned anything from the Oceans franchise, it's that planning a heist is incredibly difficult. Even when you think you've thought of everything, and even if you manage to gather the very best 11, 12, or 13 criminals you know, something will threaten to derail your extremely well thought out plan. And for any chance at success, you'll have to do some quick thinking on the fly. As if that isn't stressful enough, consider this — what if you added a giant kaiju monster into the mix?
It might not be a situation you'd like to be in, but this premise promises an entertaining movie. Lucky for us, The Kaiju Score is currently in development and just founds its writers.
Deadline reports that Brightbrurn's Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn have signed on to adapt the screenplay for this upcoming film, based on a comic book of the same name.
The film follows four criminals attempting a heist in the middle of a giant monster attack on their city and it has everything you'd expect: a plan, a team, and yes, a very big kaiju. Co-creator and writer James Patrick has described it as "a Quentin Tarantino film taking place in some corner of a Godzilla movie."
The film will be developed by Sony Pictures in collaboration with Escape Artist, the studio behind The Equalizer films. Escape Artists' Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch will produce the adaptation alongside Sony's Tony Shaw and AfterShock Comics' Lee Kramer and Jon Kramer. Jiao Chen will oversee the project for Sony.
What We Can Expect
The film is sure to be a fascinating genre mashup, given it's already throwing a kaiju monster into the middle of a heist thriller. But even reflecting on the screenwriter's prior work with Brightburn, twisting genre conventions seems to be of special interest to Brian and Mark Gunn.
Brightburn is particularly memorable for its darkness. The film was a twist on a classic American tale — Superman — that pulled the hero's origin story in disturbing directions. It centered on a superpowered child who lacked any sense of justice or humanity, making for a sinister mix of black comedy and horror.
While The Kaiju Score seems to promise a considerably lighter tone, its creator has alluded to taking inspiration from various sources and cites Tarantino films, Donald Westlake books, and Elmore Leonard's work amongst them. In his initial statement about the film, Patrick said,
"You have this giant canvas of a kaiju attack occurring, and as it happens there's this more personal story going on. And after that setup, it explores how these four characters, who are in just the worst situation in their lives, believe the only way out is to do this impossible thing. This crazy crime. It's about that desperation."