Sequels to "Shin Godzilla" and "Godzilla Minus One" in planning

While the American MonsterVerse conquered the box office with spin-offs such as "Godzilla vs. Kong", the Japanese home of the legendary monster has also made an impressive comeback over the past ten years. With "Shin Godzilla" and "Godzilla Minus One", two completely different interpretations of the iconic atomic lizard have been created, for which sequels are now being planned.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Toho is planning to invest around one billion US dollars over the next three years in order to increase the proportion of its overseas sales from the current 10 percent to 30 percent by 2032. The aim is to gain a global foothold and further strengthen the Godzilla brand.

In addition to a second part of "Godzilla Minus One", other productions are also in the works: an as yet unspecified Southeast Asia project and the second season of "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters", the "Godzilla" series from Apple TV+. Shin Godzilla 2" could also materialize, although official confirmation is still pending. Director Hideaki Anno is currently working on a new edition of the cult sci-fi series "Space Battleship Yamato". However, his colleague Shinji Higuchi, who co-directed "Shin Godzilla", could theoretically step in.

Shin Godzilla & Godzilla Minus One: Two faces of the same legend

Since its birth in 1954, the cult figure Godzilla has been a symbol of fear, destruction and the traumatic aftermath of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In recent years, the Japanese giant lizard has experienced a creative rebirth – in two completely different interpretations: "Shin Godzilla" (2016) by Hideaki Anno and "Godzilla Minus One" (2023) by Takashi Yamazaki. Both films were celebrated, but they could hardly be more different in style, tone and message.

Shin Godzilla: political satire and experimental cinema

"Shin Godzilla" was made more than a decade after the Fukushima disaster and clearly draws on the Japanese population's experience of natural and nuclear disasters. Hideaki Anno, known for the anime masterpiece "Neon Genesis Evangelion", did not direct a typical monster movie, but a socially critical satire.

The plot is sober and realistic: an unknown creature suddenly appears in Tokyo Bay and grows into a gigantic monster. However, the focus is not on Godzilla himself, but on the chaotic crisis management of the Japanese bureaucracy. The film shows minute-long scenes of government meetings, endless discussions between ministries and a frightening picture of official failure – a clear allusion to the government's hesitant actions during the Fukushima crisis.

Visually, "Shin Godzilla" is experimental. Godzilla appears unfinished, grotesquely mutating, almost physically uncomfortable. The camerawork is often reminiscent of documentary footage, while the music combines classic Godzilla motifs with dark new compositions. For many fans, Shin Godzilla is one of the most intelligent and courageous entries in the series, because it once again sees the monster as a symbol of real social fears and focuses on people – not destruction.

The film won numerous awards in Japan, including seven Japanese Academy Awards, and was acclaimed by critics for its depth. However, it was too dry and political in places for a broad mainstream audience, making it a work that enjoys great respect, especially among the hardcore fan community.

Godzilla Minus One: emotion and spectacle

"Godzilla Minus One" is quite different. Takashi Yamazaki took the story back to 1945, directly after the end of the Second World War. Here, the audience encounters a traumatized kamikaze pilot who misses the chance to sacrifice himself and now returns to a country devastated by war as a survivor full of guilt. But the peace is short-lived, because Godzilla appears – as the embodiment of a second, even greater catastrophe.

In contrast to "Shin Godzilla", "Minus One" focuses on big emotions and human dramas. The film shows the desperation of the population, the grief over the lost war and the courage of individuals who resist despite all hopelessness. At the same time, it delivers spectacular action sequences and impressive scenes of destruction, which are technically realized at the highest level.

Yamazaki succeeds in combining historical tragedy with popcorn cinema: The film is both a homage to the original Godzilla message – the fear of nuclear annihilation – and an emotional heroic epic. It's no wonder that "Godzilla Minus One" reached a global audience that went far beyond its dedicated fan base. It even won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 2024 – a historic moment for Japanese cinema.

Two films, two philosophies

Why were both films so acclaimed despite being so different? The answer lies in their respective approaches to the character of Godzilla. "Shin Godzilla" appeals to the politically minded audience, who see the monster movie as a mirror of social grievances. It is intellectual, unwieldy, almost documentary-like – a movie that forces viewers to think about the real world.

"Godzilla Minus One", on the other hand, is more emotionally accessible. It shows the monster as a force of nature that stands for the ultimate horrors of war in a historical context. With clear heroic figures and a cathartic finale, it combines drama, action and great emotions – and thus strikes a chord with a global audience. However, both works are typical of their makers: Anno is an experimental auteur with a penchant for political allegory, Yamazaki a storyteller who loves epic emotions.

One legend, many faces

Whether as a political metaphor or an emotional spectacle, both films prove that Godzilla has lost none of its power even after 70 years. "Shin Godzilla" and "Godzilla Minus One" show the versatility of the brand: the monster can be both intellectual cinema and a blockbuster suitable for the masses. And that is precisely what makes Godzilla immortal.