The King of the Monsters is preparing to make its return on multiple fronts. In Japan, director Takashi Yamazaki is in the process of bringing back his iteration of the lizard king in a sequel to the Academy Award-winning film, Godzilla Minus One. In North America, Legendary’s MonsterVerse is prepping for the third film in the Godzilla x Kong series while also working on a television series for Apple TV+. In a wild new interview, Toho’s President believes that the popularity and projects of Godzilla make it the perfect ambassador to the West as the king of the monsters has been able to build some major bridges.
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In the District of Columbia, Toho President Hiroyasu Matsuoka was one of the key speakers for the event known as the U.S. Japan Conference on Cultural And Educational Exchange. The event typically is presented as a way to “strengthen cooperation” between North America and Japan, and since both locales share a love of the lizard king, Matsuoka took his shot giving Godzilla a new role. In stating that “culture influences people,” Toho’s President that “Godzilla could be an ambassador” and even shared how the West’s take on the popular kaiju had recently impacted the Godzilla of the East.
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Godzilla’s Influence
While on stage, President Matsuoka detailed how the North American take on Godzilla was responsible for the recent “restarts” of the kaiju franchise. As King of the Monsters’ fans have seen, there have been multiple takes on Godzilla in recent memory such as Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One. Matsuoka stated that “American creators and Toho creators influenced each other, even if unintentionally.”
When it comes to the Western and Eastern takes on the lizard king, fans in North America will probably be seeing more Godzilla before kaiju enthusiasts do in Japan. Legendary is planning to release the third entry in the kaiju crossover of Godzilla x Kong on March 29th, 2027. While it might be possible that Godzilla Minus One’s sequel arrives before then, it’s unlikely that Yamazaki will solidfy the kaiju’s return by then. This also doesn’t take into account the second season of Monarch: Legacy of the Monsters, which is currently in production, and a mysterious spin-off series touted by Apple TV+.
Godzilla’s Upcoming Crossovers
One of the biggest ways that Godzilla is slamming into the West is with the upcoming Marvel crossovers that will arrive thanks to the North American comic book publisher. Set to arrive later this year, the King of the Monsters is set to take on the likes of the Incredible Hulk, the Amazing Spider-Man, the Uncanny X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and the Avengers. Following a recent series that saw the popular kaiju taking on the DC Universe alongside Kong, it will be interesting to see how Godzilla stacks up against some of Earth’s mightiest heroes.
Want to see what the future holds for the world’s most popular kaiju? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for all the latest on Godzilla and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime or hit us up in the comments!
