Following the release of the critically acclaimed, Academy Award-winning monster epicGodzilla Minus One, writer, director, and visual effects supervisor Takashi Yamazaki will return to helm another outing featuring the iconic kaiju. The studio behind theGodzillafranchise, Toho, took to social media today to reveal an “EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT,” which states that A NEW GODZILLA FILM” is now in production, with Takashi Yamazaki once again writing, directing, and providing VFX for this next installment in the beloved series.
Godzilla Minus Onewas released theatrically in Japan to huge success back in November last year, with Toho’s American subsidiary, Toho International, releasing the movie in the U.S. in December. TheGodzilla outing is the 37th installmentin the long-running franchise and finds the iconic beast tormenting post-war Japan. Already devastated by the war, a new crisis emerges in the form of the giant monster. It has not yet been confirmed whether this newGodzillamovie will be a direct sequel or a separate story featuring the kaiju icon.
Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki (Your Name.), Minami Hamabe (Shin Kamen Rider), Yuki Yamada (Fullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar), Munetaka Aoki (The Roundup: No Way Out), Hidetaka Yoshioka (Dr. Kotō Shinryōjo), Sakura Ando (Monster), and Kuranosuke Sasaki (My Home Hero),Godzilla Minus Onewas met with critical acclaim, and now stands at 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie also saw huge success at the box office, grossing over $100 million worldwide and breaking box office records, including achieving the biggest opening weekend ever for a live-action Japanese movie. Not only that,Godzilla Minus Onewent on towin the Oscar for Best Visual Effectsat the 96th Academy Awards.
What Might Happen in a Godzilla Minus One Sequel?
While we await further updates, Takashi Yamazaki has previously revealed what hewould like to do with aGodzilla Minus One 2(that title needs work). His plans are sure to please kaiju fans, as the filmmaker would love to bring more legendary titans into the fray…while maintaining the focus on the human characters. Discussing a possible sequel earlier this year, the director pondered whether it would even be possible to make the perfect “kaiju-versus-kaiju” movie alongside “human drama.”
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And, according to Takashi Yamazaki, that human drama would likely once again center on Kōichi Shikishima and Noriko Ōishi, the couple at the center of the first movie.
“I don’t know that anyone has pulled off a more serious tone of kaiju-versus-kaiju with human drama, and that challenge is something that I’d like to explore. When you have movies that feature [kaiju battles], I think it’s very easy to put the spotlight and the camera on this massive spectacle, and it detaches itself from the human drama component.
I would certainly like to see what the sequel would look like. I know that Shikishima’s war seems over, and we’ve reached this state of peace and calm – but perhaps [it’s the] calm before the storm, and the characters have not yet been forgiven for what has been imposed upon them.”
Godzilla Minus One
