GODZILLA MINUS ONE Director Takashi Yamazaki Working on Script & Storyboards for the Next GODZILLA Movie
After the massive success of Godzilla Minus One, director Takashi Yamazaki is officially deep into crafting the next Godzilla film for Toho.
While speaking at the Visual Effects Society Awards, where he accepted the Society’s Visionary Award, Yamazaki confirmed that he’s currently working on the screenplay and storyboards for the new film.
Variety reports that Yamazaki also hinted at a bigger production budget this time around, which makes sense given the wild success of Godzilla Minus One.
That film, made on a relatively small $15 million budget, went on to become the highest-grossing Japanese film in U.S. box office history, raking in over $115 million worldwide.
It also made franchise history by winning an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, the first Godzilla movie in 70 years to be recognized by the Academy with a nomination or a win.
While there’s no official title or plot details yet, it remains unclear whether this next Godzilla movie will continue the story of Minus One or head in an entirely new direction.
Either way, fans can expect Yamazaki to bring the same level of storytelling and visual craftsmanship that made Godzilla Minus One such a standout.
the filmmaker shared that he's interested in working with two big Kaiju monsters… Mechagodzilla and Ghidorah.
When previously talking about his experience with Godzilla Minus One, Yamazaki was asked if he had any interest in tackling other kaiju, and he said that Dolby enhancements make him curious about Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla.
He explained: "Huh... to make use of Dolby Vision. That's right, it's a possibility. I hadn't thought about it, but now that you've said it, I think you're right.”
In a previous interview, the director said: "If I were to direct the next Godzilla movie, I would like to do a sequel to this one. There have been two standalone Godzilla films in a row now, so perhaps the next one will need to feature a villain monster.”
He also explained that he wants to make a Kaiju vs. Kaiju movie that’s actually good, saying: "I don’t know if anyone has achieved a more serious tone of kaiju vs kaiju with human drama, that challenge, is something I would like to explore."
He went on to add, "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."
In addition to his work on Godzilla, Yamazaki is also gearing up for his first English-language feature, Grandgear, a project under J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions.
It looks like the filmmaker has a busy road ahead, but for Godzilla fans, the most exciting part is knowing that Toho’s next kaiju film is officially in the works.