On the heels of his triumph with Oscar winner Godzilla Minus One, Takashi Yamazaki is set to write, direct and steer VFX for a new Godzilla film for Toho, the Japanese creator and longtime steward of the franchise, Toho announced on Friday.
The news came as part of an “Emergency Announcement” via X (formerly Twitter). No further details on the project were disclosed, including whether the film will be a direct follow-up to Godzilla Minus One.
A monster hit at a worldwide gross of over $116M, against a relatively lean budget, Godzilla Minus One won Yamazaki the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects earlier this year, besting titles including Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Napoleon and The Creator.
Pic is set in the aftermath of World War II, with Japan already grappling with economic and social devastation before an even more destructive force arrives: Godzilla. The story follows a nation and its people struggling to rebuild, only to face an unimaginable new threat as the monster wreaks havoc across an already ravaged landscape.
The film stands apart from Hollywood takes on Godzilla from the likes of Warner Bros and Legendary, with Ryunosuke Kamiki in the lead as Kōichi Shikishima, a former kamikaze pilot who must confront his own personal battles as he faces the devastation brought on by Godzilla.
View Toho’s Godzilla announcement below.