Mexico City is preparing for a visitor as the streets of the historic town center are taken over by the legendary kaiju, Godzilla. Or, more accurately, they’re playing host to filming of the latest Godzilla film. Originally published by the BBC News, hundreds of extras are being recruited and the streets are being cordoned off for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the next installment in the new shared universe of monster movies created by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. Amongst the more than 700 extras, were men wearing sombreros alongside woman with rebozos and carrying bolsas de mandados, Excelsior reports.
Not much is known about the film’s plot, short of it being a continuation of events started in 2014’s Godzilla and this year’s Kong: Skull Island. It is presumed that the massive monster, who’s been terrorizing cities on film since his creation in 1954, will wreak massive amounts of destruction on the town so you might not immediately know you’re looking at Mexico City. Much of what is being filmed isn’t open to the public with massive perimeters being set up to block the views of those passing by. According to CNN en Español, the shoot created lots of chaos and caused major traffic jams (not that DF residents aren’t already used to that.)
The heart of Mexico is becoming a popular place to film movies. The 2015 James Bond film Spectre filmed in the same area Godzilla is and was such a success that Mexico City Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera created an annual parade similar to what was seen in the movie. On-location filmmaking has always been important but never moreso than for the cities where it happens. Mancera hopes the Godzilla shoot will produce “an economic boost” in the country, “short-term employment opportunities,” and an uptick in tourism.
It’s unclear whether Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the official title as IMDb still lists it as “Untitled.” Either way the next in the Godzilla franchise will be directed by Michael Dougherty and stars Millie Bobbie Brown, Vera Farmiga and Charles Dance. It will hit theaters on March 19, 2019.
Learn even more about the shoot from this NPR story: