Petitioning Hollywood: An Exercise In Futility

Fans are circulating a petition (maybe several) demanding that actor Akira Takarada's scenes, filmed for the upcoming Godzilla by Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros., be restored to the theatrical release prints.

One petition begins with:

Thanks to the support of Godzilla fans around the world, Akira Takarada was included (in a cameo role) in the upcoming Legendary Godzilla movie. At the eleventh hour, his scene has reportedly been cut from the film. Please sign this petition asking director Gareth Edwards to restore Mr. Takarada's scene to the finished film.

As the movie is a little over two weeks away from being released to theaters, it is most likely too late to restore Takarada's scenes back into the movie, even if the director and film editor are sympathetically inclined to do so. Had this decision been made and announced to the world months earlier, fans would've had a better shot at getting Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. to reverse course. Even then, I'd have my doubts that they would.

I have not seen an instance where a film was changed to placate the demands of fans, except where it was leaked out that something was in a film so offensive that it caused a major uproar. Otherwise, it just doesn't happen. That's not how Hollywood works!

The movie is locked into a May 16 release (some countries will have it open May 15). Do you really think stomping your feet now will get the studios to restore (maybe) a few seconds of footage with millions on the line in order to make a few fans happy? Get serious!

To better understand how the film (or digital) editing process works in Hollywood movies, check out this website on the subject.

I, too, am disappointed that Mr. Takarada's scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. But it is possible that his scenes were not shot well or some major blooper occurred rendering the scene(s) useless. We don't know why. The best we can hope for at this point would be to have his scenes included as an extra when the DVD and Blu-ray discs are released (petitioning for that would be a much more practical petition to circulate).

All this right now, I'm afraid, is an exercise in futility. But, if it makes you feel better, go ahead and sign it.