We have some news that's sure to make kaiju fans very happy indeed.
After bringing the monstrously successful and critically-acclaimed Godzilla Minus One to the screen, Takashi Yamazaki is set to return as writer, director, and VFX supervisor on the next Japanese Godzilla movie.
Toho International (via SFFGazette.com) made the news official, but details are practically non-existent for the time being. We have no idea if this movie will be a direct sequel to Minus One or a brand-new outing for the legendary King of the Monsters.
The ending of Minus One did leave the door open for a follow-up, with a mysterious black mark starting to form on Noriko's neck, and the destroyed (or so we thought) Godzilla beginning to reform in the depths of the ocean.
Minus One went on to become the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla film of all time, taking in over $116 million worldwide on a reported budget of $15 million.
During a recent interview, Yamazaki revealed that he initially turned down the opportunity to helm the movie because he didn't feel the technology required to bring his vision for Godzilla to life was available to his team.
“I had been approached several times but turned it down until my team’s technology was capable of expressing the Godzilla I had envisioned. After seeing Shin Godzilla, my motivation increased, and my technology evolved considerably. I was once again formally approached and decided to give it a try.”
Yamazaki previously outlined his original pitch for the project, while explaining that unusual title.
"Postwar Japan has lost everything. The film depicts an existence that gives unprecedented despair. The title Godzilla Minus One was created with this in mind. In order to depict this, the staff and I have worked together to create a setting where Godzilla looks as if "fear" itself is walking toward us, and where despair is piled on top of despair. I think this is the culmination of all the films I have made to date, and one that deserves to be "experienced" rather than "watched" in the theater. I hope you will experience the most terrifying Godzilla in the best possible environment."
A brief synopsis tells us that Godzilla: Minus One "sees an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla."