Godzilla Director Mike Dougherty Explains Why Classic Toho Monsters Weren't Used

Godzilla hit up theaters this year and left as the reigning King of the Monsters. Thanks to director Mike Dougherty, the iconic kaiju had a nice outing in Hollywood alongside famous friends like Mothra. It turns out the filmmaker wanted others to join in on the party, but a certain roadblock kept Dougherty from courting any more of Toho's monsters.

And what was that reason? It turns out kaiju are expensive, and they will run up quite the tab when they come to Hollywood.

Recently, Dougherty spoke with Rue Morgue about all things Godzilla: King of the Monsters. It was there the director said he had originally planned to use more of Toho's classic monsters in his movie, but the budget did not allow for any add ons.

"Originally, I hoped to use other monsters from the Tohoverse, like Anguirus, Gigan, or Biollante, but every single Toho monster comes with a price tag -- something we didn't have the budget for. So instead of moping about it, I decided to embrace the opportunity and add new titans to the gallery," Dougherty said.

For those who have seen the film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters managed to introduce a slew of new kaiju which are not part of the Tohoverse. One of these happens to be a giant wooly mammoth known as Behemoth which fans loved from the start. Others included an armored giant called Scylla, a hybrid known as Methuselah, and a female MUTO whose race was introduced back in Godzilla's 2014 outing. For now, the rest of Toho's kaiju will have to stay in the vault... that is, until a new film's budget allows for their escape.

So, which monsters would you like to see show up in future MonsterVerse films? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Fans can currently see Godzilla run amok in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which is now available on Digital HD. Coming to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on August 27th, and directed by Michael Dougherty, Godzilla: King of the Monsters stars Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ken Watanabe, Bradley Whitford, among many other talents.