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It's a hot, bright June day in Vancouver and we're sitting outside of a personalized ice cream truck with Walter White's gloriously grim mug plastered across the front, eating a delicious scoop of Mothra flavored (salted caramel) ice cream, and chatting it up with Bryan Cranston.

This is the set of Legendary and Warner Brothers' Godzilla the day before Cranston wraps picture. As a thank you to the crew, he's ordered an ice cream truck to come and offer Godzilla-themed flavors as a mid-afternoon treat. Cranston stands joking with the crew and reporters alike, and is every bit the charming, hilarious, and relatable man that you'd hope he'd be. Stay tuned for more from our interview with him.

08:37Secrets From the New Godzilla (POSSIBLE SPOILERS)
Standing In Godzilla's Rib Cage:

Godzilla will come roaring into theaters in just about two months, but we were able to suss out some key details during our time on the Vancouver set. While there, we went through the "war room"; which was filled with the concept art from the film that essentially laid out the trajectory of the story in pictorial form. We were then hustled into a pre-vis screening where we were treated to an early look at that epic halo jump sequence from the trailer. From there we went to set, where we observed director Gareth Edwards working with Cranston and Aaron Taylor-Johnson on a pivotal scene. We were able to speak with all three in between takes. Then it was on to a set featuring the construction of a massive kaiju's remains (you've also seen this brought to life in the trailers). We completed the day at the exterior of what will become an elaborate airport action/destruction sequence. Along the way, we spoke with visual effects, producers, production designers, and more.

Here's just a taste of what we learned...

Oh nothing, just hanging out in Godzilla's skeleton...
Oh nothing, just hanging out in Godzilla's skeleton...

How This Connects To The '54 Film:
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We never go there on the nose that in '54 there was a nuclear event, Godzilla attacked Japan and all that.

As we've seen in the trailers, as well as the image above, Godzilla 2014 makes reference to the monster's existence in 1954. There are flashbacks of the military setting off atomic bombs in an attempt to kill him, as well as present day scenes featuring his colossal bones. Yet, as Edwards told us on set, their movie is functioning as an origin story. If this film was following the events of the original precisely, and Godzilla had invaded Japan, then the world would know about his existence...They don't.

"What we wanted to do was create a mythology that made sense, back to '54, but certainly not building on it and acting like a sequel," Thomas Tull, Godzilla producer and CEO of Legendary told IGN in a subsequent interview. "There's an agency that knew Godzilla existed back then in '54, so our thread was to create that link."

02:31Godzilla (Legendary Pictures) - Trailer #2
"We never go there on the nose that in '54 there was a nuclear event, Godzilla attacked Japan and all that," the producer continued. "That's not part of our film. But I think we connect the dots in a way that will -- you'll certainly understand the origins, and you'll certainly understand the reverence, but we've just got our own angle on it."

As Cranston explained, "The idea is to give you a little historic perspective to what may be the genesis of what becomes the initial problem in this story, and then it moves up to 1999, and again to 2014."

Cranston and Johnson in Godzilla.
Walter White and Quicksilver go toe-to-toe with Big G.

Cranston Was Hesitant, But Said Yes After A Slight Script Change:
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I didn't want to be a prude about it.

Cranston was initially reticent to do the film, as he was feeling protective coming off of "a very well-written and executed show" -Breaking Bad. The actor's concern was that whatever he did next would be compared to the series. Cranston also didn't want to make the mistake of being "a prude about it," as he says, so he spoke with Edwards and became convinced that the human element would play a central role in the film. There is a "cats in the cradle" estranged father/son dynamic between he and Johnson's character that the actor responded to and nurtured in early drafts of the script. Cranston is also well aware of the movie he's in - Godzilla with a capital KAIJU - and has fully embraced the pure joy and fun of being in an epic monster movie. Though, one which they've all worked to ground in a deep sense of reality.

"This movie is about what it would be like if this were really happening," Edwards says.

Johnson the soldier in Godzilla.
Johnson the soldier in Godzilla.

A Global Road Movie:
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Visually we wanted that transition to happen from a feeling of a very Japanese thing to become an American thing.

That is how Edwards describes the film, which features locations ranging from Japan, the Philippines, Hawaii, and the United States.

"It felt like what we were doing with the franchise was taking something that was very Japanese, that belongs to Japan, and bringing it to America," the director explained. "And so from a very early stage, the journey of this movie was a journey from Japan to America. That felt like the heart of everything. Hawaii's in the middle of it, obviously. So we sculpted the story around that basic, global path. And it's not as literal as 'something from Japan comes to America.' But it felt like visually we wanted that transition to happen from a feeling of a very Japanese thing to become an American thing."

07:37Godzilla (Legendary Pictures) - Rewind Theater - First Trailer
What They Learned From Man of Steel:
You may never hear the "G word" in this movie.

"For a long time, we liked the idea of never, ever saying his name," Edwards said when asked how they would introduce the titular character's moniker. "We had a million ideas of how you could say that name. And it might be that one of them ends up in the movie. We're still playing with a couple of them. But I think it's just as good to never say his name out loud. We're going to have it on every single poster and every single everywhere. There's something more ethereal about a person you don't really label. It's so obvious to say, 'It's Godzilla!' How do you talk about this thing? Is it a thing? Is it a creature? Is it a monster? Is it an organism? Is it an animal? And we kind of use all of those, and wait for the right moment to use the actual name gag. I saw Man of Steel last night and thought they were quite clever about it."

Ken Watanabe and Edwards on the set of Godzilla.
Ken Watanabe and Edwards on the set of Godzilla.

Did Andy Serkis Do Performance Capture?:
Maybe...probably. When we were on set, we were told that Serkis had made a call offering his services to the production, in the event that they'd elect to use performance capture for Godzilla. There's been talk since that time that indicates that the actor did indeed do some work on the film, but we do not have full confirmation, yet.

The key was, creating a creature that is a force of nature; one that carves a path of ruin with a sense of indifference towards the human race, but that also has a personality. A mythic beast that is God-like in his stature and might, and yet that is also, in some ways, our hero.

"That really is at the heart of it," Tull said of striking the right balance for the character. "Because if you have a Godzilla that's too familiar and too sort of, like, 'Heeeey, it's Godzilla' then that can get goofy in a hurry. On the other hand, in my book, Godzilla is the good guy. He's got the reptilian brain, but I absolutely think it will be clear to audiences that you'll be rooting hard in that direction."

Who's your kaiju?
Who's your kaiju?

Hear Him Roar, Revamped!:
The studios focus and intent has been to honor the source while integrating a contemporary take at every stage of the production - from the script to Godzilla's design. The team worked very closely with Toho on his visual aesthetic. The same is true for his iconic roar.

"We asked ourselves, 'How do you make sure that you can tell it's the classic roar and yet an updated version?'" Tull said in our interview. "In our minds, when we sat down with Erik [Aadahl], our sound designer, on this, the guiding principle was always -- well, look, when you hear the classic roar in Godzilla movies, we want people to be like, 'Oh, that's the movie version,' then when they hear our version, it's like, 'If you're on the ground, that's what it actually sounds like.'"

00:11Godzilla (Legendary Pictures) - Hear Godzilla Roar!
Easter Eggs:
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Certainly there are things in the movie that if you're a massive fan of Godzilla, you're gonna notice little tips of the cap to that.

Eagle-eyed viewers have already started to point out potential Easter eggs in the teasers and subsequent marketing materials. There's been speculation that the Mothra twins made an appearance in the most recent trailer, though that's been denied.

However, we do know that Ken Watanabe's character, Daisuke Serizawa, shares a name with the scientist who created the Oxygen Destroyer in the '54 film. Given that it would be impossible for him to be playing that same character, and that this is Legendary's own origin story, it's possible that the link is just a call out to hard-core fans. Or, it's possible that this is the man who will find a way to stop this beast.

"Certainly there are things in the movie that if you're a massive fan of Godzilla, you're gonna notice little tips of the cap to that. That was important to us," Tull said evasively when asked about the the link between Watanabe's character and the original film.

Edwards did promise that he would include those nods, in subtle ways. When we were on set, there was a paperweight on a desk with "Mothra" written on it. You'd have to really be looking closely to notice, though.

Director Gareth Edwards Goes Deep On Godzilla

Now, we're going to head into some territory that could be a bit spoilery, so if you want to steer clear of specific details on the story you may want to jump out now or skip ahead to discuss all things King of the Monsters in comments. Stay tuned for more on Godzilla in the weeks to come, though, as we'll have interviews, including Cranston's, and plenty more details to divulge.

The juicy bits are ahead...

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Okay, you've been warned about spoilers!

So, do you want to know about things like the other monsters??? Join me as we head into (potentially) spoiler-filled territory and the field of speculation!

Cranston's A Conspiracy Theorist:
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He thought his father was crazy, and there's a moment where he realizes that his father was actually right all along.

"He’s a nuclear physicist," Cranston said of his character. Jokingly adding, "Which my other character knew something about, borrowing from Heisenberg’s occupation. He works at this nuclear power plant [in Japan] as an independent contractor, who is brought in to oversee the structure of the building itself, and then he notices there’s an anomaly to some recordings that are happening; seismic activity. It’s baffling, because it’s not irregular as an earthquake would be random. This is steady and pulsating. So he starts to investigate and he’s just trying to wrap his head around it when all hell breaks lose."

His son, (Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s) character, Ford Brody, is a boy when the eruption at the plant takes place. The disastrous event rips apart their family, as Cranston's Joe Brody simply does not believe that the authorities are being honest about what's happened.

"Then there’s a big situation that happens that catapults us to the next jump in time," Cranston continued. "And that’s when we pick up the story in 2014, and that’s when Ford's a grown man with his own family."

Elizabeth Olsen plays Johnson's wife in the film, and she acts as a peacemaker of sorts between the father and the son.

11:48We've Seen 20 Minutes of Godzilla!
The estrangement is in part due to Joe's relentless obsession with exposing what he believes was a cover-up at the plant.

"There's this great tipping point in the film, where everything that's a fantasy in our hero's mind becomes real," the producer's explained. "His father has believed in something. He thought his father was crazy, and there's a moment where he realizes that his father was actually right all along."

The scene we witnessed Johnson and Cranston shooting the day we were on set was actually when the father and son return to their home in Japan to search for a key to saving the world. Once the Brody family refuge, the house had since been condemned as a part of a radiation zone and become overrun by plants and enormous insects (we actually got to hold some of the giant millipedes!). The production designers used the state of the house as a visual metaphor for the overriding theme of the film: Man vs. Nature; a battle which nature always wins.

"The home has been taken back by time," it was explained to us. "And it's just the beginning of the descent into the hell of the journey."

Atomic Breath!:
The 1954 Godzilla served as an allegory for the the horrifying power of the atomic bomb. As we've seen, nuclear energy plays a key role in this film as well. Though, Cranston doesn't feel that this story is quite making a statement in the way that the original film did.

"Society accepts the inherent dangers of nuclear power as a given," the actor reflected. "It’s fine if nothing goes wrong, but things do go wrong. In my state of California, San Onofre nuclear power plant was just closed down because it’s leaking. And these are problems. So I think more than trying to make a political statement, it’s something that a wide-ranging audience can immediately relate (to). If there’s a problem there, there’s a big problem, and it’s intensified and exacerbated to the point where it could be catastrophic."

Johnson, preparing to do battle with the king.
Johnson, preparing to do battle with the king.

We were assured that Godzilla himself does indeed have atomic breath in this version of the tale, and that it may play a big role in terms of how it effects people in the Philippines and the M.U.T.O.s (the other monsters that he fights.)

Wait, Is That Rodan!?!:
Nope! Savvy King Kaiju-lovers, like our very own Daemon Hatfield and Jared Petty, have been keeping a keen eye out, and spotted what looked to be a monster in the sky in the most recent trailer. Many wondered if it wasn't Godzilla's winged foe Rodan (take a look at our second rewind theater below for a closer look and some great analysis from Jared and Daemon). No, it was not Rodan, nor any other classic Godzilla creature, but it was another kaiju.

13:07Godzilla: 2nd Trailer Analysis
It's now known that Godzilla will be fighting several kaiju in this film. Preliminary footage has been released, as well as early looks at the toys featuring the additional monsters, and we know that they have multiple-limbs and wings. But what are they?

It was essential to Edwards and the producers that they create something completely original for Godzilla to battle...Enter the M.U.T.O.

What Are M.U.T.O.s?:
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It's human beings messing with nature that stuffs everything up again.

Well, in the world of the film, it's is an acronym...a military acronym. Now, they wouldn't tell us what, exactly, M.U.T.O. stands for. However, there have been all sorts of official M.U.T.O viral sites, and I'm sure some intrepid fan has decoded it.

Here's what we do know: When we asked about the design of the creatures, we were told that there was a little more freedom with the M.U.T.O.s, as they were a "military experiment" in this world. Yet, the team went through many more design phases with these creatures, as they had the classic look to draw upon for Godzilla. With the M.U.T.O.s idea was to create something unlike anything we'd ever seen before, but that still had biological integrity.

While we were on set, there was reference made to a M.U.T.O base, which we were told is, "the remains of the nuclear power plant. We use this, from an art department perspective, as a setup of industrialization, of what's happened after the nuclear power plant has been destroyed and what's been left behind and what scientists are trying to utilize. It's human beings messing with nature that stuffs everything up again, which kind of goes back to the original premise."

Screen shot of the other monster foot from the trailer.
Screen shot of the other monster foot from the trailer.

It was crucial to Edwards that Godzilla really have something to do in the film. "We didn't do a Godzilla movie where it was just one creature because you can quickly run out of people pointlessly trying to fire and stop the thing," the director explained.

In the video on the first page of this article, I speculate that the M.U.T.O.s may be something akin to genetically engineered monsters that were designed to be used as weapons. Well, my subsequent interview with Tull put the kibosh on that theory.

"It's man's hubris, but they're not, like, weaponized, created in a lab, gone amok," the producer clarified. "That's not their origin or where they're from. They're much older than that. 'What would this have looked like at a different point in the Earth's past?' [we asked ourselves]. We spent an enormous amount of time thinking about how animals communicate and all these different aspects that would make it feel science-plausible to us."

The King of the Kaiju is indeed king, though. "When you see the M.U.T.O. it’s enormous, but it’s not nearly as big as Godzilla," Cranston enthused. Well, at over 300 feet, the biggest Godzilla to date, we hope he's the bigger man...monster.

Bonus!

Sequel! Is This The Start Of A New Franchise?:
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I can't think of anything more fun than being in this universe that's been created.

Of course producers haven't confirmed plans for a sequel - yet. However, Tull did say that if they were fortunate enough, they "certainly have a lot more to say on the subject."

"We're very focused right now on making sure audiences love this movie," he continued when asked if we might ever see any of the other classic Toho creatures. "We're certainly going to work with Gareth Edwards again. Whatever direction that story took, we'd be openminded to any of it. We have a great relationship with Toho. I can't think of anything more fun than being in this universe that's been created."

So, perhaps we'll see Rodan after all.

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Everything about this movie looks pitch-perfect

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Do they all break out into song?

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I don't think I want to spoil another frame

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Spielbergian

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War Damn Bathra

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