Godzilla Minus One Sequel Unleashes Earth-Shattering Update

It’s impossible to dispute that Godzilla Minus One is one of the best outings for the King of the Monsters on the silver screen. The story that takes place in the shadow of World War 2 managed to do something that no other ‘Zilla had done before, netting an Academy Award. Winning an Oscar for “Best Visual Effects,” kaiju fans have been wondering when we can expect a sequel to arrive that will bring us back to this Japan of the past. Luckily, director Takahashi Yamazaki confirmed that he would return for a sequel and has shared a major update regarding the long-awaited return.

For those who aren’t in the know, or might need a refresher, Godzilla Minus One’s ending is one that sets the stage for a sequel in several ways. To start, while Japan is able to take down the lizard king by blowing him up, movie-goers witnessed the pieces of Godzilla beginning to reform and hinting at the king of the monster’s comeback. On the the human side of things, protagonist Koichi Shikishima discovers that his partner Noriko Oishi survived a previous Godzilla attack and was now resting in a hospital. Of course, during their reunion, keen-eyed fans spotted what appeared to be a strange mark on Noriko, hinting at the idea that Godzilla’s influence might be taking a wild new turn.

[RELATED: Godzilla Minus One Director Shares New Movie Update With Saturn Awards Win]

Godzilla Minus Two?

While Yamazaki has confirmed that he has been working on Godzilla Minus One’s sequel in the past, in a new interview with Variety, the director confirmed that work is currently underway on both the screenplay and storyboards for the kaiju’s return. Takashi also confirmed that he is expecting a larger budget for the upcoming sequel, as the first film was made for an eye-popping $15 million USD reportedly. Considering how good Godzilla looked in the film, it was hard to believe what Yamazaki and his team was able to do with such a slim budget.

In the new interview, Yamazaki took on the controversial topic that is artificial intelligence, stating how A.I. is being incorporated into his work but not being used as the main tool for it, “It’s a very capable assistant or tool, as it stands right now, but it is not at the point where it can kind of take center stage and generate what humans can. Right now, it’s not in any of our pipelines because of that reason, but the speed at which AI evolves is just so immense that where it goes from here remains to be seen. Until recently, I’ve been still shooting on film and I like to use miniatures, so I know that someday we’re going to  have to embrace and kind of work with AI, but I’m probably going to be one of the later ones because I do like working with older technology and techniques.”

Godzilla’s Other Appearances

Of course, Japan isn’t the only place where the king of the monsters reigns supreme. Legendary Pictures is still moving forward with its MonsterVerse as the third entry of Godzilla x Kong is in the works and Apple TV+ is already working on the second season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. On top of the Monarch comeback, Apple is also working on a spin-off series that has released few details about what it will focus on. It’s a great time to be a kaiju fan regardless of where you live in the world.

Via Variety