SHIN GODZILLA 2 Reportedly Begins Filming Next Month and GODZILLA MINUS ONE Star May Be Joining the Cast!
Godzilla might be getting ready to unleash another round of destruction in Japan! A new report claims that a sequel to the awesome 2016 film Shin Godzilla is moving forward, with filming reportedly set to begin in November. Even more interesting, a familiar face from Godzilla Minus One could be joining the cast.
According to Japanese outlet Smart FLASH, Shin Godzilla 2 is preparing to enter production, with Hiroki Hasegawa and several other original cast members expected to return. The report also names Tasuku Emoto (Shin Kamen Rider) and Minami Hamabe as potential additions.
Hamabe's involvement is really interesting because she played Noriko in Godzilla Minus One and is returning for the upcoming Godzilla Minus Zero, which hits theaters next month.
That raises a fun question. Could Shin Godzilla 2 somehow connect to the Godzilla Minus One movies? “There’s a lot of interest in the industry about what kind of role she’ll play,” Smart FLASH’s source says, translated from Japanese.
Before getting too excited about a possible crossover, it's worth remembering that Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One take place in separate timelines. Hamabe could easily be playing a completely different character in the reported sequel.
Still, the possibility of some unexpected connection between these two versions of Godzilla is pretty exciting. I'd absolutely love to see how filmmakers could pull something like that off.
Of course, none of this has been officially confirmed. Smart FLASH reportedly contacted Toho for comment but didn't receive a response before publication. There's also no word on whether original directors Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi would return.
Both Hamabe and Emoto previously worked with Anno on Shin Kamen Rider, although that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be involved with this new project.
Regardless of how things play out, the possibility of another Shin Godzilla movie is awesome news for fans of the franchise.
Takashi Yamazaki delivered something incredible with Godzilla Minus One, which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. That movie was so damn good, but Shin Godzilla was also a badass movie when it first arrived.
What made Shin Godzilla so effective was how it approached the monster and the chaos surrounding his arrival. While Godzilla was tearing Japan apart, government officials were trapped in endless meetings, struggling to make decisions as the situation spiraled out of control.
The film's sharp social commentary made the destruction feel even more disturbing, and the creature design was absolutely horrifying. That grotesque incarnation of Godzilla remains one of my favorites, and the visual effects brought him to life in some genuinely unsettling ways.
The movie originally received a limited theatrical release in the United States before GKIDS brought it back to North American theaters in 4K in 2025. It never received quite the same theatrical attention that Godzilla Minus One eventually enjoyed, but it absolutely deserved it.
There's also that disturbing final image from Shin Godzilla, which left audiences with plenty to think about. A sequel could finally explore what that ending meant and where the story might go next.
Unfortunately, the new report doesn't reveal any plot details or a potential release date, so we'll have to see whether Toho officially announces the project.
For now, I'm thrilled at the possibility of returning to the terrifying world of Shin Godzilla. There's a lot of potential for another great Godzilla movie here, especially if the original creative team returns.
As for Hamabe, I'm incredibly curious about what role she might play. Whether she's portraying an entirely new character or there's something bigger connecting these films, I'm interested in seeing what happens.
Would you be excited to see Shin Godzilla 2, and do you think there's any chance it could connect to Godzilla Minus One?