The Godzilla Minus One Sequel Has One Big Advantage Over The First Movie

Details have been slim, but Toho confirmed in November 2024 that Takashi Yamazaki is indeed working on a follow-up to his unexpected Oscar-winning smash hit “Godzilla Minus One.” The film was one of the biggest surprises of recent memory, both critically and commercially, almost instantly cementing itself as one of the best “Godzilla” movies ever. While we still don’t have much to go on by way of specifics, we now have an encouraging update on the status of the sequel.

Per Variety, Yamazaki was on hand at the Visual Effects Society Awards recently, where he was honored with the Visionary Award. During the event, the filmmaker confirmed he’s actively working on the script and storyboards for his next “Godzilla” movie, which means the film is firmly in pre-production. What’s more, Yamazaki also revealed he will have “more” budget this time around. While an exact figure wasn’t provided, that is almost certainly good news for both him and fans of the “Godzilla” franchise at large.

Rather remarkably, Yamazaki managed to make “Minus One” for less than $15 million. Granted, the movie was produced in Japan and, because of a lack of labor unions like the ones that exist in Hollywood, costs over there don’t balloon. That said, the film was a huge smash, taking in just a smidge under $114 million worldwide at the box office to go with near-universal acclaim. It also became the first and only “Godzilla” movie in history to win an Oscar, taking home the prize for Best Visual Effects.

All of this to say, Yamazaki has earned a bigger budget. As for the story he’s cooking up? That remains a mystery. “Godzilla Minus One” itself took place in Japan in the immediate aftermath of World War II, at which point the country, still ravaged by the war, is then forced to face the terror of Godzilla. With the devastated people of Japan already struggling to survive (and their government doing far too little to help), they must find a way to rally together and battle the destructive beast on their own.

For the moment, it’s unclear if Yamazaki is going to do a direct sequel to “Minus One,” although the strange markings on Noriko (Minami Hamabe) at the end of that movie suggest there could be a path forward with the film’s characters. It’s also entirely possible that Yamazaki will decide to simply craft a whole new story. Either way, we’ve already seen what the filmmaker was able to accomplish with pretty limited resources, and it was downright remarkable. Imagining what he could do with more money (and, presumably, creative freedom) is thrilling, speaking for myself.

While Toho has yet to give this new film a release date, 2026 doesn’t seem impossible, what with pre-production already firmly underway. We can also take comfort in knowing Yamazaki isn’t ready to embrace AI, even as Hollywood continues to reckon with the technology. Indeed, the filmmaker spoke about the effects of AI on the film industry during the aforementioned event via a translator. In doing so, he explained that he still prefers more old-school techniques (which suggests that this is how he’s going to approach his next “Godzilla” film):

“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.”

Rather definitively, we can say that it’s truly a great time to be a fan of the King of the Monsters. In addition to this movie, we’ve got the upcoming “Godzilla x Kong” sequel from the MonsterVerse on the way, which will be directed by Grant Sputore (“I Am Mother”). Not only that, but Apple TV+ is also currently working on “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” Season 2, with some possible spin-offs in development as well. Couple all that with everything IDW has going on in the comics and “Godzilla” has arguably never been bigger. Not bad for a 70-year-old monster.

You can grab “Godzilla Minus One” on 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD from Amazon.