Back in 2023, Toho released a Godzilla film called Godzilla Minus One (read our review HERE) in Japan on November 3rd, which happens to be Godzilla Day, the anniversary of the 1954 release of the original Godzilla movie. To celebrate the anniversary in 2024, they announced that they’ve given the greenlight to a new Godzilla movie that will be written and directed by Godzilla Minus One mastermind Takashi Yamazaki, who will also be handling the visual effects. Set to open in Japan on November 3 2026, followed by a release in North America on November 6, that sequel is called Godzilla Minus Zero… and today, a first-look teaser has dropped online! You can watch it in the embed above.
What was Godzilla Minus One about?
Godzilla Minus One saw an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla. Toho’s Koji Ueda provided the synopsis: “Set in a post-war Japan, Godzilla Minus One will once again show us a Godzilla that is a terrifying and overwhelming force, which you already get a sense of from the teaser trailer and poster. The concept is that Japan, which had already been devastated by the war, faces a new threat with Godzilla, bringing the country into the ‘minus.’“ The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, and Kuranosuke Sasaki, with music by Naoki Sato. Interestingly, one of Yamazaki’s previous credits is the 2007 film Always: Sunset on Third Street 2, which features a Godzilla cameo in a fantasy sequence.
Something to remember before we get to the potential Godzilla Minus Zero plot: the character Noriko Oishi was infected with Godzilla cells, or “G-cells,” during the events of Minus One. This was represented by a spreading black mark on her neck.
What have we heard about Godzilla Minus Zero?
Here’s the leaked Godzilla Minus Zero plot, as reported by Geek Tyrant:
Following the devastation of Godzilla’s first rampage in Godzilla Minus One, Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is determined to lead a quiet life, rebuilding his family with Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and young Akiko (Sae Nagatani) while stepping away from the nightmares of war and monsters.
However, peace is short-lived when Godzilla returns, fully regenerated, larger and more ferocious, while something ancient begins to stir beneath Aokigahara near Mount Fuji, endangering the fragile nation and forcing Kōichi to reconsider his promise.
With stakes higher than ever, Kōichi reluctantly returns to the fight, teaming up with old comrades, and U.S.-Japan alliance forces to confront the two kaiju and protect those he loves, especially as Noriko’s cell connection to Godzilla strengthens, pulling her dangerously closer to the monster’s rage.
What has Yamazaki said about the sequel?
After the success of the first film, Yamazaki made it clear he was eager to return for the sequel. “I would certainly like to see what the sequel would look like. I know that Shikishima’s war seems over, and we’ve reached this state of peace and calm – but perhaps [it’s the] calm before the storm, and the characters have not yet been forgiven for what has been imposed upon them,” he said. “I don’t know that anyone has pulled off a more serious tone of kaiju-versus-kaiju with human drama, and that challenge is something that I’d like to explore. When you have movies that feature [kaiju battles], I think it’s very easy to put the spotlight and the camera on this massive spectacle, and it detaches itself from the human drama component.“
He went on to say that he would have to “make sure that the human drama and whatever’s happening between [the] kaiju both have meaning, and both are able to affect one another in terms of plot development.“
What did you think of the Godzilla Minus Zero first-look teaser? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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