Godzilla has been thanklessly toiling away in movie theaters since 1954. Mr. Atomic Breath has served up entertainment with heavy allegories lurking underneath, but he has mainly served as an action-based moneymaker for Legendary’s Monsterverse and for Toho. Godzilla deserves more respect (dang it), and the nuclear lizard’s fortunes finally turned around with Godzilla Minus One, the modestly financed 2023 Toho film that became the first Godzilla movie to win an Oscar. The fact that the Best Visual Effects award went to a blockbuster with a $15 million budget (which pulled in over $113 million globally) was an especially delicious detail.
Meanwhile, Legendary has been continuing the TV side of their Monsterverse (the second Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters will include hefty participation from Kong) with multiple spin offs in development, but Toho will simultaneously continue with a Godzilla Minus One sequel. Let’s talk about what we can expect when the King Of Monsters stomps back into theaters.
Plot
Godzilla Minus One achieved its technical clout while also performing an emotional meditation on post-war Japan, particularly through the eyes of a PTSD-afflicted survivor wracked with guilt over his failed mission. Within a franchise that frequently emphasizes kaiju action, at times even leaning into camp, this more nuanced approach will surely continue (as opposed to the ongoing “slobberknocker” movies, which are also important) since Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki is writing and directing the sequel.
Yamazaki has revealed that he’s currently writing the followup, which doesn’t have a title yet (Godzilla Minus Two? Godzilla Plus One? Godzilla Resurrection?), nor was Yamzkazi keen to reveal plot specifics. According to Variety, he’s firmly in the storyboarding process, but he does anticipate “more” budget from Toho. Also relevant: he appears to be eschewing AI while declaring, “Right now, it’s not in any of our pipelines,” although he believes, “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.”
As for how Godzilla Minus One achieved its visual effects on such a low budget, Yamazaki told Variety (in a different discussion) that he used a mere 35 artists to create over 600 visual effects shots, which meant an intense workload for all involved, including the five artists who pulled together water effects for some of the movie’s most dramatic scenes. With that kind of workload (and intense work ethic) involved, it’s no wonder that the VFX artists were overjoyed when learning of their Oscar nomination.
Cast
The presence of Godzilla himself is the only guarantee in the casting realm.
Release Date
Godzilla Minus One premiered in Japan in October 2023, and the sequel is still in writing stages with likely a bigger budgeted production coming, meaning that it will likely be years (2027?) before a sequel surfaces.
Trailer
Since these are early days, no footage exists, but it’s worth reflecting on how a mere five VFX artists pulled off water scenes like this one. Will a bigger budget change these encounters in any way? We will be waiting to find out.
