The director of Godzilla Minus One has suggested that the next giant monster movie from Toho will be another standalone entry rather than a sequel.
If you’re a fan of Godzilla Minus One, Toho’s latest movie to feature the King of the Monsters, then you aren’t alone. The film – which released right at the end of last year – has already amassed over $100m at the global box office, which isn’t bad at all considering its $15m production budget. It’s also bagged an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Visual Effects, and that’s without mentioning the rapturous response from audiences around the world.
The film has eclipsed the success of its predecessor, 2016’s Shin Godzilla, but it doesn’t automatically mean we’ll be seeing a direct sequel. In fact, director, writer, and visual effects lead Takashi Yamazaki has offered an update (via Comicbook) which suggests that it might be unlikely. When asked whether a follow-up film to the WWII-era movie might be on the cards, he said:
“No, no, there is no such talk at all. But I might be a little sad if someone else is chosen to direct the next Godzilla movie. When someone says, ‘This is the person who will direct the next Godzilla,’ I think, ‘Ah!’ And when someone says, ‘Please do it,’ I think, ‘Ah!'”
Read more: Godzilla Minus One review | The Godzilla film we’ve been dreaming of
We’re pretty used to seeing Hollywood clamour to issue sequels in the wake of a film’s success, but Toho have form in this regard too. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, Godzilla sequels were frequent, and it might be that those who are making decisions are keen not to fall into the trap of making follow-up films that dilute the potency of the character, especially given that there’s also a Hollywood incarnation of the monster repeatedly appearing on our screens as well. (Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is out on the 12th April.)
This approach certainly follows in the vein of Toho’s last couple of Godzilla films, with Godzilla Minus One not being connected to Shin Godzilla, its 2016 predecessor. This is potentially good news either way: should Toho be quietly considering a sequel to Minus One, it’s unlikely there’ll be many complaints given how well-received the film was. Another compelling and original Godzilla tale, however, would be more than welcome too.
With that in mind, whatever happens next, film fans can be happy (although we’d like to see Yamazaki get another crack at the character given how successful he has been – even if it isn’t a sequel).
