The new Japanese Godzilla movie has begun to take shape, with TOHO Comany announcing Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno and Attack on Titan visual effects wiz Shinji Higuchi as co-directors of the film. Via The Hollywood Reporter:
“Ever since Hollywood announced that Godzilla was to be resurrected, the expectation for another Japanese Godzilla grew,” said Toho in a statement. “We looked into Japanese creators who were the most knowledgeable and who had the most passion for Godzilla. Naturally, we quickly came to a consensus that Anno and Higuchi were the perfect fit for the Japanese Godzilla’s return [after] 12 years.”
…
In an earlier announcement, Toho conceded that it wouldn’t be able to match the $200 million budget of Edward’s film. But the studio says advances in CGI, along with the technical prowess of its co-auteurs, will allow it to create a monster film that can stand alongside Hollywood-scale productions.Toho said the upcoming Godzilla story will take place in Japan and that “moviegoers can look forward to witnessing the largest Godzilla in the franchise’s history.”
Anno and Higuchi know a thing or two about giant monsters. Anno’s Evangelion anime features some of the coolest monsters ever to destroy Tokyo (or rather Tokyo-3, since Tokyos keep getting wiped out in his universe). And Hideaki Anno was given the helm of the highly anticipated live action Attack on Titan film based on his experience doing special effects for Gamera movies.
The two also created a creepy giant monster short together with Studio Ghibli called Giant God Warrior Appears In Tokyo. It seems like the Japanese Godzilla reboot is in good hands. So long as Hideaki Anno doesn’t spiral into one of his infamous depressions. We might end up with two hours of nihilistic navel gazing and a couple of strange masturbation scenes instead. But I’ve got hope.
