The Godzilla film that was originally meant to star King Kong instead
In short: In 1966, Toho planned a blockbuster featuring King Kong, but a breakdown in negotiations with Rankin-Bass forced a last-minute pivot. With the script already written, the studio simply swapped in Godzilla. The result was a strange, low-budget island adventure that remains a unique oddity in the franchise's history.
The film Ebirah, Horror of the Deep was initially conceived as a King Kong project titled Operation Robinson Crusoe: King Kong vs. Ebirah. Toho had secured rights to the ape from RKO for five years, but creative friction derailed the collaboration. Rankin-Bass, who was launching an animated King Kong series, insisted on specific directors, while Toho remained firm on their own team, including director Jun Fukuda and special effects supervisor Sadamasa Arikawa. When the deal collapsed, Toho kept the screenplay largely intact, which explains why Godzilla displays uncharacteristic, Kong-like behavior, such as a romantic interest in the character Daiyo.
Budget constraints heavily influenced the production. Toho opted for an island setting because it was significantly cheaper to construct as a miniature than a city. Special effects director Sadamasa Arikawa was instructed to minimize expensive composite shots, a decision he attributed to the studio's perception of his inexperience. The production also relied on repurposed props, such as a Mothra model from a previous film and a giant condor suit recycled from a Rodan prop. Even the underwater sequences were grueling; actor Haruo Nakajima spent a week filming in a water-filled aquarium during the winter, often working until late in the evening.
Despite the film's success as a New Year's release in 1966, it was not a favorite of its director. Jun Fukuda later described the experience of revisiting the film as akin to opening an old wound. The movie remains notable for being one of only two Godzilla films set primarily on a Pacific island, and for its unconventional score by Masaru Sato, which favored a lighter tone than the series' traditional music. While the film was eventually released in the United States as Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, its origins as a repurposed Kong vehicle remain one of the most fascinating footnotes in kaiju cinema.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
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