Godzilla Minus One was a celebration of 70 years of Toho’s Godzilla‘s franchise, but it almost didn’t have a happy ending as one of its best characters was originally going to be killed off before the end. Godzilla Minus One was a groundbreaking entry for the Godzilla franchise. As the most critically and commercially successful Godzilla releases in Toho’s long history, Godzilla Minus One continues to dominate as fans are even going to get the chance to see the film in theaters again later this year as part of a limited screening event. But it almost had a much different, more depressing ending than what was seen in the film.
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Godzilla Minus One writer and director Takashi Yamazaki spoke about the Academy Award winning feature film during a special panel as part of New York Comic Con 2024, and revealed some key details about its production. Because when asked about the ending that saw Koichi Shikishima (as performed by Ryunosuke Kamiki) reuniting with an injured Noriko Oishi (as performed by Minami Hamabe), Yamazaki revealed that the first draft of the film actually had Noriko dying. But he ultimately changed that in later drafts as he felt that Shikishima needed a win after everything he had been through.
Godzilla Minus One Almost Killed Off Noriko
In Godzilla Minus One, Noriko and Shikishima are caught in the crossfire of Godzilla’s then biggest attack in the film at that point. Noriko was presumed to be dead as Shikishima lost all hope, and then united with the others for a plan to take down the giant monster once and for all. It wasn’t until the film’s final moments that Shikishima sees that Noriko had survived the attack, and only got a few injuries from it despite the fact that it looked like she had been killed. It turns out she almost was.
As Yamazaki explained during the New York Comic Con 2024 panel, Noriko died in the first draft of the film. Yamazaki eventually changed it because he felt like Shikishima needed a win, “If he came home and she [wasn’t there], that would be tragic.” He even explained that when they filmed the scene where Noriko was caught in Godzilla’s attack, they made up Noriko actress Minami Hamabe in a way that could have CG placed over it if she had survived the attack. They did decide to keep her alive, and Yamazaki himself was satisfied with the choice.
What’s Next for Godzilla Minus One?
Godzilla Minus One might have ended with a tease for a potential future, but Toho has yet to announced their potential plans for the next Godzilla feature film. Yamazaki has noted his own interest in returning for another film, and even has some ideas about how to remake past films and use classic Kaiju such as Hedorah in a future project. But as of the time of this publication, Yamazaki also clarifies that he has yet to be contacted by Toho about potentially moving forward.
A direct sequel to Godzilla Minus One would make a lot of sense considering how well the film has done commercially and critically, and it’s won the Godzilla franchise notable awards such as its very first Academy Award. But with a franchise like this one, the next Godzilla film is also just as likely to try a brand new take from a new creative team at the helm. It likely won’t be releasing for a few more years at the earliest, and it could end up a much different kind of film that fans enjoyed with Godzilla Minus One. But that’s also what makes each new Godzilla exciting.
