 Godzilla 2014 is getting a 4K Blu-ray release and we have been getting some details on these releases. Best Buy Zavvi have Steelbook exclusives, Amazon list the standard release, but the coolest is the release from HMV which includes special packaging, art cards, poster, and 32 page booklet (along with the standard version of the release). The HMV and Zavvi versions releases April 12th and are 34.99 and 24.99 (British Pounds), Best Buy, Amazon, and other US releases March 23, the Best Buy Steelbook is $34.99, the standards are $29.99 ($24.99 on Amazon). Note the content of the discs do not appear to be different from the original releases, HMV content list below. hmv Exclusive Cine Edition: Godzilla (2014) - Limited to 1500 copies. Includes
 
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 As we know now that Warner Bros. and Legendary have worked out their issues over the release of Godzilla Vs. Kong and given the film a new release date, so the film's marketing has kicked into high gear. We had a couple of teasers previously, the roar clip, and the punch (HBO Max clip), now three more teaser clips have hit. One feature Madison (Millie Bobby Brown), a quick glimpse of Godzilla and Kong on the carrier, as well as Kong with the axe from the toy line, which leads to a whole host of questions. The second features a longer shot of Kong on the carrier with a voice over and Godzilla emerging from the water toward Kong. A third clip, that does not appear to have a high quality version floating around, appears to show someone holding a crudely made "toy" presented to Kong, the interesting part with this one is Kong does not appear to be full grown in the shot (more Skull Island sized). Also released was a poster, banner, wallpaper (from Legendary's Chinese page), and concept art. Also the Monarch Sciences website has been updated with a "warning" of the impending battle. Check them all out below and above.   
 Toho is releasing Godzilla: King Of The Monster in Japan and has announced a special edition that includes a limited edition figure, S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2019 Poster Color Version. This special set includes 4 discs, 4k Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray, DVD, and special features Blu-ray with each featuring the character poster art. The set will retail for 15,000 yen and it will be released Dec 18th. There are also other added bonuses depending are where you purchase it, Amazon (Japan), Godzilla Store, or Tsutaya. Amazon is offering a Steelbook case, Godzilla Store a Burning Godzilla figure (Movie Monster series), and Tsutaya a blanket,additional all will have two clear files as well. Standard versions (Blu-ray, DVD) without the added bonuses will be available as well. Check out the details below. Note the S.H. MonsterArts figure is only available in the full set, some of the other items (Movie Monster figure, Steelbook case, blanket) may be available with standard releases from each retailer. Figure A movable figure of modeling and coloring by Yuji Sakai, one of Japan's leading Godzilla modeling experts. GODZILLA, a king of monster colored in blue and white with the color of an American poster visual in the clear molded body! Overall height: 160mm / Material: Made of PVC / Target age: 15 years old and over Manufacturer: BANDAI SPIRITS Co., Ltd. Specifications Main disc 4K UHD Blu-ray Main part 132 minutes / 3 layers (100G) / 4K 2160p / Dolby Vision Audio: (1) English (Original) Dolby Atmos (2) Japanese Dubbed 5.1ch Dolby TrueHD (3) Audio Commentary 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD Subtitles: (1) Japanese subtitles (2) Japanese subtitles (3) Audio commentary subtitles (4) Barrier-free Japanese subtitles Main disc Blu-ray Main part 132 minutes / 2 layers (BD50G) / 1080p High Definition Sinesco size audio: (1) English (original) Dolby Atmos (2) Japanese dubbed 5.1ch Dolby TrueHD (3) Audio commentary 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD (4) Barrier-free Japanese audio guide 2.0ch Dolby TrueHD subtitles: (1) Japanese subtitles (2) Japanese dubbed subtitles (3) Audio commentary subtitles (4) Barrier-free Japanese subtitles Main disc DVD Main part 132 minutes / single-sided dual layer / 16: 9LB Sinesco size audio: (1) English (original) 5.1ch Dolby Digital (2) Japanese dubbed 5.1ch Dolby Digital (3) Audio commentary 2.0ch Dolby Digital (4) Barrier-free Japanese audio guide 2.0ch Dolby digital subtitles: (1) Japanese subtitles (2) Japanese dubbed subtitles (3) Audio commentary subtitles (4) Barrier-free Japanese subtitles Special benefits disc Blu-ray Fractional undecided / 2 layers (BD50G) Contents Main disc contents Main story Special video: Preview editing (4 special editions of Japanese version, 7 types of Japanese theater announcements, 9 types of Japanese TV spots) Special audio: Audio commentary (Director / Screenplay / Story: Michael Doherty, Executive Producer / Screenplay / Story: Zack Shields / Oshare Jackson Jr.) Special bonus disc contents Godzilla King of Monster Toys Godzilla series that celebrated its 65th anniversary. Introducing past Godzilla toys loved by everyone, including valuable images such as interviews with people concerned Event video collection World Premiere in Hollywood Japan Special Screening Blue Carpet Event Japan Premiere Preview Stage Greeting First Day Stage Greeting Toho Studio Godzilla Tour Official interview Ken Watanabe, director Michael Doherty, Japanese dubbing cast (Tanaka Kei, Kimura Yoshino, Hamada Mana) Monsters 101 Godzilla, Mothra, Radon, King Ghidorah Introduction Video Collection Evolution of monsters From sculpting, characteristics, and crying, we thoroughly dissect the details of the monsters that the director & modeling artist stuck to Monarch's behavior The revived mythical monsters. Explain the important first appearance scene with pre-biz and making video Milly Bobby Brown The charm of Millie told by the director and cast Monster Tech Description of mechanics and technology that appear in the main story, including Orca, which holds the key to the story Real of Monsters What is a monster for humanity? Directors, writers, and scholars talk about metaphors embedded in monsters from various perspectives Monster Bath World Introducing the world of surviving monsters, Kong, and giant creatures that appeared in this work Undisclosed video North American theater notice  Godzilla Store     Amazon.JP
 Tsutaya
     When you look at the box office for Godzilla: King Of The Monsters you quickly realize it won't make as much as Godzilla 2014, whether or not it is considered a success is a matter of opinion. But when you start looking at many sequels in this genre, or even in other genres, is what could be called the sequel or sophomore jinx, that occurs.
Pacific Rim, the film that started the current kaiju trend, made $411 million, Pacific Rim Uprising approx $291 million, a significant drop, Godzilla 2014 made $529 million, Godzilla: KOTM will finish under $400 million (currently $386 million approx.), other big drop. This trend isn't just the recent films King Kong 1933 did quite well but its sequel Son Of Kong didn't do as well, the 1976 remake also did relatively well but its sequel King Kong Lives bombed, more recently Cloverfield did well but its first sequel had a drop at the box office and second sequel was shifted to Netflix. Even looking at the Jurassic Park/World franchise each film has done less than the previous film in each part of that series (Park separate from World films). In the case of Godzilla Vs. Kong we are technically getting the third Godzilla and second Kong film together, could that combo be enough to buck the trend. While not all sequels have had the same pattern the monster or creature genre seems to have it be more the case, it is a possibility this is why we have not gotten a more definitive word on sequels to other films like Rampage, The Meg, etc. even though they were successful films. There are many reasons why this can be happening like, the shock/awe valve and curiosity are there in the first film but isn't as much in the sequel. Also many sequels become more story focused and look at the continuing story arc going forward which may loose some, there is also issues because they aren't as interested in the human characters or character/monster development (they want monsters to be monsters for example), it's a delicate balance and it's hard to truly satisfy the audience as a whole, especially non fans of the genre. Another more modern problem can be reviews, curiosity even with not such great or bad reviews will still allow a new film to do well but that curiosity isn't there in the same way so bad reviews weight a lot more on a sequel. There can also be a lot of dissecting of films now which with all of the special effects, story details, and such that they can can get hurt by being over analyzed. The big questions for Monsterverse fans is how will Godzilla Vs. Kong do and will the Monsterverse continue. The first question may be helped by the nostalgia, since many fans, serious and casual, have been looking for a rematch since 1962, another thing is Kong was slightly better reviewed and received which may help. On the flip side questions of Kong's size and how he will match Godzilla may and have caused concern, yes he was growing but it has been a source of jokes since his film was released. Warner Bros. and Legendary have done a lot to try and built to it and build the Monsterverse into something so hopefully that pays off and helps, but the poor showing of Godzilla: KOTM may have hurt mainstream interest. Toho will certainly be watching, a big box office and the Monsterverse continues, a poor showing and Toho may decide to do their own thing (which could happen anyway) and the Monsterverse may end. We hope it does well as we look forward to where the Monsterverse will go and its continued development. In the end no matter what happens we personal are happy overall with what we got and hope fans are too.  Press release: LONG LIVE THE KING AS Godzilla: King of the Monsters ARRIVES ONTO 4K UHD COMBO PACK, BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK, DVD SPECIAL EDITION AND DIGITAL FROM WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT 4K Blu-ray Disc features Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10+ Own it Early on Digital on August 6 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD debut on August 27 (Steelbooks will be available from select retailers.) Experience the epic monstrous action as legendary Titans collide when “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” arrives on 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD Special Edition and Digital. Directed by Michael Dougherty (“Krampus,” “Trick ‘r Treat,” “Superman Returns”), the film stars Kyle Chandler (“Catch-22,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Argo,” TV’s “Friday Night Lights”), Oscar nominee Vera Farmiga (“Up in the Air,” “The Conjuring” films, TV’s “Bates Motel”) and Millie Bobby Brown (TV’s “Stranger Things”) in her feature film debut. From Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Toho Co. Ltd. and Huahua Media, the film’s acclaimed ensemble cast also includes Bradley Whitford (“Get Out,” “The Post”), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water,” “Blue Jasmine”), Charles Dance ( TV’s “Game of Thrones,” “The Imitation Game”), Thomas Middleditch (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” TV’s “Silicon Valley”), Aisha Hinds (“Star Trek Into Darkness,” “The Next Three Days”), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (“Straight Outta Compton,” “Long Shot”), Oscar nominee David Strathairn (“Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Godzilla”), Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe (“The Last Samurai,” “Inception,” “Godzilla”) and Golden Globe nominee Ziyi Zhang (“Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”). Dougherty directed from a script he wrote with Zach Shields, story by Max Borenstein, Dougherty and Shields, based on the characters “Godzilla,” “King Ghidorah,” “Mothra” and “Rodan” owned and created by Toho Co., Ltd. The film was produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Brian Rogers, with Shields, Barry Waldman, Hiro Matsuoka, Keiji Ota, Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira serving as executive producers, and Ali Mendes and Jay Ashenfelter co-producing for Legendary. Behind the scenes, Dougherty’s creative team included director of photography Lawrence Sher (the “Hangover” films, “Godzilla”), production designer Scott Chambliss (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”), editors Roger Barton (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” the “Transformers” films), Oscar nominee Richard Pearson (“United 93,” “Kong: Skull Island”) and Bob Ducsay (“Godzilla,” “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi”), costume designer Louise Mingenbach (the “X-Men” films, the “Hangover” films) and Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Guillaume Rocheron (“Life of Pi,” “Godzilla”). Music is by Bear McCreary (TV’s “The Walking Dead,” “10 Cloverfield Lane”). The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc of “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” will feature Dolby VisionTM HDR, which dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range, and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen, frame by frame. It will also feature HDR10+TM, a new HDR technology that optimizes brightness levels and contrast for each scene. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc of “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” will also feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar. Dolby Atmos soundtracks are also fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment. “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” will also be available on Movies Anywhere. Using the free Movies Anywhere app and website, consumers can access all their eligible movies by connecting their Movies Anywhere account with their participating digital retailer accounts. Fans can also own “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” via purchase from digital retailers beginning August 6. SYNOPSIS The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance. 4K, BLU-RAY AND DVD ELEMENTS “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD Special Edition contain the following special features:
Warner Bros UK shop has posted listings for Godzilla: King Of The Monster Steelbooks, both have different art on the covers then what has been previously shown in listing so far. It is possible the art use previously was just a place holder, the art for the Steelbook with 3D and 2D version appears to be final while the art for the 4K version is pending approval. Prices in pounds are 29.99 for the 4K and 24.99 for the 3D/2D version, with other versions ranging from 9.99 to 24.99. No other info is listed yet but Michael Dougerty has hinted at bonus footage and the release is rumored for Sept 2019. Update: these are also on Amazon in Germany with an Oct 31, 2019 release date.
 Warner Bros. and Legendary have released new banners to support Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, these include new as well as previously seen images, including the Chinese poster image. Also out are textless versions of the latest posters, check them all out here.        
 Toho will be setting up a pop up location at the Shinjuku Marui Annex 1F Event Space in Tokyo, in celebration of Godzilla: King Of The Monsters. As a promo for this location there will be prize for those who spend 3,000 yen (and possibly an Epos card), the promo items include A 3 acrylic boards, 10 Mini-Standy Panels, and a Postcard Random 1 piece (4 types in all). Also at the location those there will be able to apply for Godzilla Epos card (credit/prepaid, with image of Godzilla 2019 on it) and a free Godzilla/PUGB Mobile clear file to the first 1000 people.. The Pop Up store will be there from May 29, 2019 till June 9, 2019.    Below are the Monarch Operatives files direct from the Monarch Sciences website, there are some interesting tidbits within the file like Sam Coleman is "running" the Monarch Sciences Twitter, and some classic easter eggs in Serizawa's profile (names). Check them all out below including Charles Dance's character's "official" reveal, not James Conrad(?).  DR. ILENE CHEN MONARCH ACTIVATION 05.10.2008 PERSONNEL FILE TITLE_ SENIOR MYTHOGRAPHER, TITAN RESEARCH & CONTAINMENT AREAS OF EXPERTISE_ MYTHOLOGY, FOLKLORE, RELIGIOUS STUDIES, GENEALOGY, GEOMYTHOLOGY EDUCATION_ TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY - M.S. MYTH AND FABLE, PEKING UNIVERSITY - PH.D. COMPARATIVE MYTHOLOGY NEXT OF KIN_ SEE MONARCH FILE 1691.03.7 [SCARLET SECURITY CLEARANCE ONLY] STATUS_ ACTIVE BACKGROUND Dr. Ilene Chen is Monarch’s leading mythologist—using ancient mythology as a guiding light for Titan research and reconnaissance. By studying primeval belief systems, local superstitions and forgotten folklore, she builds a profile of lifeforms long forgotten by history. For Chen, myth is far more than just a book in a library or a tapestry in a museum. As her grandmother Mei taught her, “myth is our compass.” That compass most recently drew her to a group of loggers in China’s Yunnan province unsettled by what they reported as mysterious “singing” in the surrounding rain forest. Correlating audio recordings of the haunting sounds with local myths of powerful singing forest spirits, Dr. Chen and her sister, Dr. Ling, led Dr. Emma Russell and her recon team through the surrounding mountains where they discovered an ancient temple believed to be over twelve thousand years old: the Temple of the Moth. Inside, one of our world’s most wondrous myths came to life with the discovery of a living chrysalis: Titanus Mosura, known to the ancients as Mothra. As third generation Monarch, Dr. Chen continues a grand family legacy of brilliant Monarch operatives making some of the greatest evolutionary discoveries in the history of mankind. But Chen is not motivated solely by science or ambition. For her, this mission is deeply personal, even spiritual. As the mother of two daughters, she hopes the discovery of the Titans will lead to a better and more enlightened world. Because where others see monsters, Chen sees the entire natural history of our planet—all the way back to a time when mankind and gods walked the earth together, and when humans lived in harmony with nature instead of trying to control it.  DR. SAM COLEMAN MONARCH ACTIVATION 05.11.2015 PERSONNEL FILE TITLE_ DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY AREAS OF EXPERTISE_ COMPUTER SCIENCE, STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL OS MANAGEMENT, CROWD-SOURCING AND NEURAL NETWORKING EDUCATION_ MCGILL UNIVERSITY - M.S. APPLIED MATHMATICS, HARVARD UNIVERSITY - PH.D. COMPUTER SCIENCE NEXT OF KIN_ MICHAEL COLEMAN [FATHER], CARLY COLEMAN [MOTHER] STATUS_ ACTIVE BACKGROUND While his father loudly hoped he would grow up to become a professional hockey player, it became clear that was never going to happen by the time Sam received his bachelor’s degree at age 14. Precociously gifted and technologically obsessed, Sam grew up in the suburbs of British Columbia, and while his friends were playing pee wee pond hockey out on the ice, he was refurbishing vintage arcade cabinets and reselling them to collectors as self-taught lessons in electronics and finance. He took up speedcubing as a way to slow his mind, which inspired a permutation-based algorithm for the first self-learning computer program he developed at age 15. Joining Monarch after turning down several lucrative job offers in the private sector, he went on to lead the development and launch of Monarch Sciences—a multinational global communications network that provides public access to Monarch’s now declassified files, ushering in a new era of transparency and connectivity in a post-Godzilla world. His first assignment was digitally cataloging Monarch’s expansive data archives, and after pouring through years of sightings and evidence dating back to the dawn of myth, he thrilled at the awe-inspiring nature of these remarkable creatures, instilling him with the child-like wonder an academia-driven youth had denied him. He was quickly promoted to Director of Technology, and now oversees all aspects of Monarch’s proto-tech—from networking and communications, to advanced weapon and early warning systems—often called to speak at government hearings on behalf of Monarch’s ever-escalating budgets. Despite his incredibly busy schedule, he still takes pride in personally tweeting updates on @MonarchSciences—occasionally from the office computer he keeps next to his retro arcade cabinet.  DR. VIVIENNE GRAHAM MONARCH ACTIVATION 01.10.1999 PERSONNEL FILE TITLE_ SENIOR PALEOZOOLOGIST AREAS OF EXPERTISE_ BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE, BIOLOGY, FOSSIL ANALYSIS EDUCATION_ IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON - MSCI (HONS) GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD - DPHIL EARTH SCIENCES NEXT OF KIN_ SUSAN GRAHAM [MOTHER] STATUS_ ACTIVE BACKGROUND Dr. Graham was raised by her mother in a single-parent household, but did inherit her early passion for dinosaurs from a father who died before she was born. Like him, she was always attracted to the wonders of nature at its most monstrous. During a middle school field trip to the Natural History Museum in London, she snuck away from the group to explore on her own, staying overnight among the fossils and artifacts that had become her childhood obsession. Her panicked mother was relieved to find her peacefully asleep at the foot of a brontosaurus skeleton late that evening. Growing up to become a naturally gifted Paleobiologist, Dr. Graham was personally recruited to Monarch by Dr. Serizawa, who quickly became her mentor and in some ways the father figure she never had. Vivienne valued Serizawa’s leadership and expertise; he valued her constantly challenging him with scientific focus and what began as mentorship soon evolved into partnership. Dr. Graham has an expert eye for fossil analysis and paleo-forensics, often joking that she can read striations in bone fragments like her grandmother could read tea leaves. An expert eye in this field is exactly what Serizawa needed, leading to her first field assignment examining an unidentified Titan skeleton found in the Philippines in 1999. A shared fascination with Titanus Gojira bonded the pair through many missions leading to the events of San Francisco in 2014, during which her courage and commitment would mark her out as a key member of Monarch’s leadership team in a post-Godzilla world. Dr. Graham joined Monarch with the promise of studying live specimens during a time when others would scoff at such a notion, but it was an offer she could not refuse. To live a life of adventure beyond anything that little girl asleep in the Natural History Museum could ever possibly dream of.  DR. EMMA RUSSELL MONARCH ACTIVATION 05.04.2007 PERSONNEL FILE TITLE_ CHIEF PALEOBIOLOGIST AND DIRECTOR OF BIOACOUSTIC STUDIES AREAS OF EXPERTISE_ BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE, BIOACOUSTICS, ECHOLOCATION, GEOBIOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE EDUCATION_ UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER - M.S. BIOLOGY, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY - PH.D. PALEOBIOLOGY NEXT OF KIN_ JOSEPHINE WILLIAMS [MOTHER], GENE WILLIAMS [FATHER], MADISON RUSSELL [DAUGHTER], ANDREW RUSSELL [SON], MARK RUSSELL [SPOUSE*] STATUS_ ACTIVE [CURRENTLY STATIONED AT OUTPOST 61] BACKGROUND Emma Russell brought herself to the attention of Monarch without even knowing Monarch existed. In 2005, the crypto-zoological agency detected an abnormal sonic pulse wave signal emanating from the greater Boston area that matched previously recorded Titansong in both frequency and strength. Dr. Serizawa and Dr. Graham were immediately dispatched to the region with a Monarch field unit to investigate, suspecting the emergence of a new superspecies, only to discover two doctoral candidates at MIT working on the prototype of a revolutionary communication device that had the potential to alter the course of human and Titan co-existence forever: the ORCA. Building a reputation as a maverick at a young age, and described by early lecturers as “brilliant but rebellious”, Emma has a history of involvement in environmental activism with the occasional arrest stemming from protest participation. Emma and her husband Mark Russell revolutionized inter-species communication with their groundbreaking research in the field of bioacoustics. The staggering potential for what the Orca was capable of became evident once Emma and Mark were activated at Monarch. They disagreed on the world-changing implications of the technology and Mark resigned from Monarch shortly after the 2014 San Francisco incident citing personal reasons. A dedicated mother, Emma is currently on assignment at Monarch Outpost 61 with her daughter Madison while leading the on-going specimen research into the embryonic Titanus Mosura. Driven by a sense of duty to both her child and the planet, Emma is determined to do whatever it takes to prepare Maddie for a brave new world.  DR. MARK RUSSELL MONARCH ACTIVATION 05.04.2007 PERSONNEL FILE TITLE_ SENIOR ANTHROZOOLOGIST AREAS OF EXPERTISE_ WILDLIFE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE, ZOOMUSICOLOGY, BIOCOMMUNICATION, APEX PREDATION EDUCATION_ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY - M.S. ETHOLOGY AND PH.D. BIOLOGY, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY - PH.D. BIOACOUSTICS NEXT OF KIN_ GEORGE RUSSELL [FATHER], MADISON RUSSELL [DAUGHTER], ANDREW RUSSELL [SON], EMMA RUSSELL [SPOUSE*] STATUS_ INACTIVE BACKGROUND Mark Russell was always better at listening than talking. His lifelong fascination with the sounds made by the animal kingdom began as a small boy in Warren Valley Ohio, holding endless conversations with his family’s beloved German Shepherd, convinced he could understand every noise she made. Growing into a highly-respected, multi-discipline expert in the fields of animal behavior and communication, he is happiest in the company of the wild. He first came to Monarch’s attention as co-lead on Project ORCA along with his wife, Dr. Emma Russell. Falling in love to the music of nature, the hotshot MIT post-grad duo had together become one of the leading authorities in the field of bioacoustics, jokingly nicknaming their sonic lab the “Planet of Sound” in honor of their shared passion for the Massachusetts band Pixies. The ORCA represented an evolutionary leap in inter-species communication. Initially developed to keep whales and dolphins away from shorelines, the crowning achievement of the device is an ultrasonic wave map that can detect, transmit and translate audio at any frequency with remarkable speed and accuracy. When they first activated the prototype, Monarch immediately detected the signal and converged on the lab to investigate, ultimately giving Mark and Emma the opportunity to answer their true calling. As an avid outdoorsman, Mark always preferred pure field work over the political machinations of Monarch and its remit to find a way for humanity to coexist with monsters. Nevertheless, he followed his wife’s dream to communicate with nature at its most extraordinary, even if he feared that some aspects of the natural world should always remain beyond our understanding.  DR. ISHIRŌ SERIZAWA MONARCH ACTIVATION 06.12.1981 PERSONNEL FILE TITLE_ SEE PERSONNEL NOTES AREAS OF EXPERTISE_ BIODIVERSITY, ZOOLOGY, SYMBIOSIS PATTERNING, CLIMATOLOGY, BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE, SUPERSPECIES: TITANUS GOJIRA EDUCATION_ UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO - PH.D. ECOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD - PH.D. ELEMENTAL BIOLOGY NEXT OF KIN_ SEE MONARCH FILE 51.391 [SCARLET SECURITY CLEARANCE ONLY] STATUS_ ACTIVE BACKGROUND If Godzilla is King of the Monsters, Ishirō Serizawa is Monarch royalty. Son of founding father Eiji Serizawa, his family legacy has been woven into the very fabric of Monarch’s DNA from its inception. Born and raised in Hiroshima, Japan, Serizawa grew up in the aftermath of the unimaginable tragedy that first awoke Titanus Gojira, forging a powerful bond between man and monster that has become the driving force in his life. His father taught him to respect the harmony between man and nature from an early age, core values of co-existence that he would embody as Monarch’s guiding principal. He still carries his father’s pocket watch with him, a broken timepiece that reminds him of the ultimate price of mankind’s destructive nature. Serizawa is a man of quiet reserve, fond of the classical works of Wagner and the poetry of Matsuo Bashō. He dedicated his life to Titan study and preservation at a time when the mere idea of their existence was nothing more than a punchline at the end of a cryptozoological funding proposal. When Godzilla revealed himself to the world in 2014 the laughter stopped, and desperate governments turned to him as humanity’s leading authority on creatures thought to be myth. Now when Serizawa speaks, the world listens. A revered figure in the scientific community, it was during a speaking engagement at Oxford University in 1997 that he first discovered a brilliant doctoral candidate in paleobiology—Dr. Vivienne Graham. Impressed with her remarkable talent and passion, what began as a mentorship grew into a partnership of two extraordinary intellects that would become the guiding force for Monarch into the 21st century. Although Dr. Serizawa is the tip of the spear at Monarch, he refuses to carry an official title stating: “In order for Monarch to maintain a balance between mankind and Titans, we must first maintain an equal balance of self.” To Serizawa, there is no higher order. A fiercely private man, much of Serizawa’s life remains a mystery even to his closest colleagues at Monarch. Fitting for a man with an almost spiritual connection to nature and its most powerful guardian.  DR. RICK STANTON MONARCH ACTIVATION 05.24.1989 PERSONNEL FILE TITLE_ CRYPTO-SONOGRAPHER AREAS OF EXPERTISE_ AUDIO FORENSICS, SUB-FREQUENCY ACOUSTIC SIGNAL PROCESSING, SOUND WAVE CALCULATION, COGNITIVE AND TEMPORAL AUDIO PROCESSING, BIORHYTHMIC THREAT ASSESSMENT EDUCATION_ UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN - M.S. MATHEMATICS, CARNEGIE MELON UNIVERSITY - PH.D. AUDIO AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING NEXT OF KIN_ DENNIS STANTON [SON], KELLY STANTON [DAUGHTER-IN-LAW] STATUS_ ACTIVE BACKGROUND Overseeing a sophisticated global network of sensor arrays that he commands like a rackmount of vintage synthesizers, Dr. Rick Stanton can tune into the heartbeat of the world. As Monarch’s leading early warning specialist, it is his job to turn sound into strategy, by analyzing the sonics of superspecies to predict the behaviors they will enact upon the world. Recording everything, Stanton catalogs Monarch’s expansive Titan audio forensics database known as “the Ark.” As brilliant as he is high-strung, Rick would much prefer to be alone in a lab than in a room full of people that don’t have the necessary perspective to understand his brilliance. He began his career as a communications engineer for SETI before joining Landsat as a satellite mapping technician in the 1980’s, an experience he credits with giving him a “god’s eye view of the world.” Becoming increasingly intrigued by company whispers of a covered-up mission to Skull Island in 1973, he reached out to one of the rumored Skull Island project leads, Dr. Houston Brooks, and the two like minds soon became close friends. Brooks introduced him to Dr. Serizawa who knew a true believer when he saw one, and shortly after Stanton was offered a position at Monarch. To most, the idea of Titans sounded like a crazy conspiracy theory. To Stanton, it sounded like a dream job opportunity. Dr. Stanton oversaw the Monarch Sciences satellite tracking system until he was offered a field assignment on Monarch’s underwater surveillance team at Castle Bravo and jumped at the opportunity. As a longtime proponent of Dr. Brooks’ Hollow Earth theory, being stationed underwater puts his ear to the wall of what he believes is a vast and unexplored ecosystem deep within the Earth. His dedication to his work has put strain on his personal life, and he’s been divorced three times as a result. Said Stanton: “I can measure the distance between sub-aquatic splinter pulses ten miles apart without using a harmonic density amplifier, but I apparently can’t detect a woman’s heartbeat.” He remains married to the insanity of his job, and it’s truly the happiest he’s ever been in a relationship.  MADISON RUSSELL FAMILY DEPENDENT CLEARANCE FILE PERSONNEL FILE TITLE_ ******************N/A AREAS OF EXPERTISE_ ******************N/A EDUCATION_ ******************N/A NEXT OF KIN_ EMMA RUSSELL [MOTHER], MARK RUSSELL [FATHER], ANDREW RUSSELL [BROTHER] STATUS_ NON-OPERATIVE BACKGROUND NON-OPERATIVE PERSONNEL FILE KEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH MONARCH SECURITY REGULATIONS. Growing up in a time of monsters, 12-year-old Madison Russell has spent much of her young life traveling the world on field assignments with her mother, Dr. Emma Russell, who is currently stationed at Monarch Outpost 61 deep in the mountain jungles of China. Her Monarch Field Tutor reports that she is remarkably academically gifted (as expected, given her parentage) although perhaps impatient with structured study programs. In short, she yearns to be out of a classroom and learning hands-on, but her requests for containment access have been denied by her mother. Until then, she spends her free time studying the unique ecosystem of insects that breathe life into the jungle. Fertile ground for her interest in Titans to grow She maintains a somewhat distant relationship with her father, Dr. Mark Russell, who resigned from Monarch in 2014 citing personal reasons. Recently, records show she has been communicating with him several times a week, though isolation in the dense jungle can make stable comm-links problematic. Despite several security violations and residential infractions at Outpost 61, above all else Madison has shown she just wants to live a normal life as she heads into her teenage years, trying to fill her evenings with the normalcy of video games, YouTube, and music playlists. But the haunting Titansong echoing from the Temple of the Moth continues to call to her innate sense of scientific curiosity.  JACKSON BARNES MONARCH ACTIVATION 02.03.2015 PERSONNEL FILE RANK_ CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER TACTICAL EXPERTISE_ A-12 BIO-MAG RIFLE, PROTO-ARTILLERY, ADVANCED WARFIGHTING, MUNITIONS SPECIALISM, FIELD ARTILLERY TARGETING TECHNICIAN EDUCATION_ GEORGIA MILITARY SCHOOL NEXT OF KIN_ STEPHANIE BARNES [SISTER] STATUS_ ACTIVE BACKGROUND As a kid, Jackson Barnes grew up loving monster movies. He never figured he’d end up in one. Wanting to serve and protect for as long as he can remember, Barnes aced military training to become an expert in munitions and heavy explosives for the armed forces and jumped at the chance to try out for Monarch’s G-Team military attaché. Spending much of his military career on board seagoing vessels gave Barnes a fascination with what lies beneath the waves, and as sightings of Godzilla became more and more scarce, he would request night patrols of the upper decks in the hope of seeing a distinctive blue glow lighting up the ocean. Barnes would have given anything to witness “the Big Guy” up close. It wouldn’t be long before he got his chance. His interest and expertise in field testing proto-ordinance ultimately led Barnes to his first assignment for Monarch under Col. Foster, as a weapons consultant during ballistic trials of specially-formulated tracer munitions. Acknowledging that such ballistics were designed to serve more as a distraction than a deterrent, Barnes said: “As a soldier, you go into Titan engagements just hoping to slow it down. Failing that, my job is to make the Titan my problem, not someone else’s.”  DIANE FOSTER MONARCH ACTIVATION 01.01.2015 PERSONNEL FILE RANK_ COLONEL TACTICAL EXPERTISE_ AERIAL COMBAT SPECIALIST, MULTIPLE AIRBORNE COM-SEC LICENSES, EXTREME WEATHER WARFARE, ALL-TERRAIN AND AIRBORNE COMBAT, MASER ORDINANCE EDUCATION_ CALIBER MILITARY INSTITUTE - M.S. CRIMINAL JUSTICE NEXT OF KIN_ JAY FOSTER [SPOUSE], CHASE FOSTER [SON] STATUS_ ACTIVE BACKGROUND Colonel Diane Foster is the battle-hardened leader of G-Team—the highly-specialized defense arm of Monarch, comprised of member state soldiers from the world’s military forces, all focused on maintaining security and safety around the global emergence of Titanus Gojira. Training soldiers in Titan tactical warfare and engagement is no easy feat, but as a former instructor of the 75th U.S. Army Ranger Regiment, Colonel Foster knows how to elevate a soldier’s expertise to prepare them for the most extreme challenges they’ll ever face in combat. With a highly decorated career that took her from supersonic air force raids to tactical leadership on the world’s most dangerous frontlines, she has built a reputation as a force of human nature to be reckoned with. Inspiring courage among her troops by testing her own, Foster keeps a watchful eye over a world forever changed by the emergence of Godzilla from the bridge of Monarch’s airborne command-ship Argo. When the Colonel was first recruited by Monarch with unlimited resources to train and build G-Team, she only requested one thing: the best soldiers. Said Foster: “I don’t train soldiers to use weapons. I train soldiers to become weapons.”  LAUREN GRIFFIN MONARCH ACTIVATION 02.03.2015 PERSONNEL FILE RANK_ FIRST LIEUTENANT TACTICAL EXPERTISE_ F-35 FIGHTER JET, MONARCH OSPREY, U.S.S. ARGO COMMAND SHIP EDUCATION_ U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY - B.S. MILITARY AND STRATEGIC STUDIES NEXT OF KIN_ NONE STATUS_ ACTIVE BACKGROUND When the sky comes alive with a storm of fire you need a skilled pilot that radiates an aura of confidence even brighter. First Lieutenant Lauren Griffin is that pilot. Unpredictability is everything when flying combat missions against Titans. These living natural disasters can change wind speeds, alter gravitational fluctuations, and shatter the laws of physics. Griffin’s skill and courage under fire earned her a roster spot on the elite G-Team to pilot Monarch’s massive sky fortress, the supersonic stealth-wing Argo. As a witness to the destruction wreaked upon San Francisco in the Godzilla/ MUTO clash, Griffin doesn’t always agree with Monarch’s stated goal of working with the Titans for the good of mankind. She says: “I can applaud those who are chasing the dream of co-existence with the Titans. But we have to be ready to try the other thing.  ANTHONY MARTINEZ MONARCH ACTIVATION 02.03.2015 PERSONNEL FILE RANK_ STAFF SARGEANT TACTICAL EXPERTISE_ A-12 BIO-MAG RIFLE, EXTREME WEATHER WARFARE, MX-9 SENTRY CANNONS, COMBAT SEARCH AND RESCUE SPECIALIST EDUCATION_ ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY - B.A. BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION NEXT OF KIN_ AL MARTINEZ [FATHER], ANGELA MARTINEZ [MOTHER] STATUS_ ACTIVE BACKGROUND A reservist at FEMA before joining the military, rescuing people from natural disasters was more than just a job for Martinez. Raised by parents who instilled in him the value of community and looking out for one another, he grew into the kind of guy who would run into a burning building while everyone else ran the other way. Some soldiers want to fight, some soldiers want to protect, and the Titan specialists at G-Team would give him the chance to find out how far he could test the courage demanded by those instincts. Recruited by Colonel Foster for his expertise in combat search and rescue, Martinez wants to do his part in a world that feels more endangered than ever before.  COL. ALAN JONAH
**** NON-MONARCH OPERATIVE **** PERSONNEL FILE TITLE_ UNKNOWN AREAS OF EXPERTISE_ COMPUTER SCIENCE, STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL WEAPON OPERATING SYSTEMS, FIELD ARTILLERY, INTERROGATION MILITARY HISTORY_ MI6 SPECIAL AGENT 1990–2004, TOURS OF DUTY IN KOSOVO, BOSNIA - DEFECTED, BRITISH ARMY COLONEL - DEFECTED NEXT OF KIN_ UNKNOWN CURRENT WHEREABOUTS_ UNKNOWN BACKGROUND In a world destabilized by the Titan revelation, Jonah is a master of chaos. A defected British Army Colonel and MI6 agent gone rogue, he has been connected to a highly-skilled team of armed mercenary cells operating behind a smokescreen of socio-political subterfuge. A profile formed by psyche evaluations and revolutionary propaganda reveals a man disillusioned by governments and obsessed with leveling the global playing field through stolen weapon technology. Monarch first became aware of Jonah after he was apprehended on suspicion of attempting to infiltrate a MUTO dig site in 2005. Little else is known about Jonah’s current whereabouts, but he has been tagged as a Class-1 eco-terror threat. With his interest in Titans still unclear, one thing is sure: having lived through some of the most brutal theaters of conflict as a troubled military agent, Jonah believes he has seen firsthand the monster that humanity can become. |
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