Buffalo native George Root III is a huge Godzilla fan. Naturally, he has been looking forward to the upcoming release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Unfortunately, there is a good chance he will never get to see the film. George is in the late stages of kidney cancer, and has very little time remaining. His close friend, Rick Cohen, owner of the Transit Drive-in in Lockport NY, has taken to social media to try to get George a screening of the film. He wrote on Facebook:
I have a close friend who has been fighting kidney cancer for the past two years. He was just admitted into the ICU at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo over the weekend. I went to see him on Monday and Tuesday this week, and both times the first words out of his mouth to me were, “King of Monsters.”
George is a huge Godzilla: King of the Monsters fan, and he knows his time is short, and he will not be around when the movie is released in May. He knows I own the drive-in, so he is asking me if there is anything I can do. I promised him I would try. This is his dying wish, and he does not have much time left.
George is on oxygen, since the cancer has spread to his lungs, and is inoperable. He only has a few days left, maybe a week or two. I know this effort is a longshot, and I told him that since the movie is still three months away, the studio may be unwilling or unable to show an unfinished product. The North Park Theatre on Hertel Avenue in Buffalo is close to Roswell Park, and has agreed to screen the movie for George privately during their off hours, if we can get permission from the studio.
I am not a big shot in the movie business, but I know some people who know some people, so I’ve taken steps to get the request to the right eyes and ears of people at the distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures, and the producers, Legendary Pictures. George would like to hear Godzilla roar one more time before he is gone. Let’s try to make that happen.
George’s story has been shared on social media, with the hashtag #GodzillaForGeorge growing on social media. Director Michael Dougherty, Warner Bros., and Legendary Pictures have all been tagged in posts well.
We at Film Dumpster hope we can help spread George’s story and help him see the King of Monsters one last time.
(Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)