Toho Announces ‘Godzilla Minus One’ Director Takashi Yamazaki Is Helming The Next Film

JB Augustine |

Nov 2, 2024

Smoky G Bear — Bringing the smoke for a sequel in Godzilla Minus One (2023), Toho Co.

Takashi Yamazaki is not done with Godzilla just yet. As many of us had anticipated all along, an announcement was made late this week, just in time for the kaiju’s anniversary, that the director would be back for another round.

Pearl harbor — Godzilla attacks a battleship without a screen door in Godzilla Minus One (2023), Toho Co. Ltd.

The mind behind the smash hit Oscar winner, Godzilla Minus One, is officially in charge of the next installment in the franchise which turns 70 this month. Toho let the word out over their social media with an “EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT” featuring Yamazaki who couldn’t share much.

Details are naturally still being worked out, leaving the door open for plenty of speculation. Based on the graphics, the footage, and the success of the last one, most believe they are working on a sequel to Minus One that will pick up at some point after Godzilla regenerates (apologies to anyone who may view that as a spoiler).

However, Yamazaki recently expressed interest in remaking, or at least reinterpreting, Godzilla vs. Hedorah for a new generation. Toho may have been intrigued and saw an opportunity to surprise us all with the arrival of The Smog Monster into this phase of the Reiwa Era.

That’s not counting the giant bubble creatures in the Godzilla Singular Point anime, which were ultimately homages and not the same character, regardless of their residence in the vast multiverse.

Learn to fly — Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) learns to fly in Godzilla Minus One (2023), Toho Co. Ltd

On the other hand, monster mashes and team-ups have been the MonsterVerse’s turf lately. As Legendary channels that Showa spirit, Toho may prefer to keep things simple and centered on their human cast – meaning they’ll play it safe with the one and only monster they depend on the most.

More about the next feature film will likely be announced with greater clarity on Sunday when Godzilla Day festivities go down. There are no guarantees here, but Yamazaki has been cleared to handle the directing, writing, and supervising the award-winning visual effects duties again.