The director behind the critically acclaimed Godzilla Minus One just debuted the first footage from his unusual next Godzilla project. Takashi Yamazaki wowed audiences worldwide with his 2023 Godzilla epic, telling the story of a Kaiju attack in the wake of World War II. The film earned rave reviews and even won an Oscar for "Best Visual Effects," beating out names like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Creator, and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.
While much has been made about what Yamazaki will do next after his award-winning Godzilla epic (including some speculating he could bring his talents to the DCU after a recent meeting with DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn), it seems the fan-favorite filmmaker remains happy working within Toho Entertainment's MonsterVerse.
The first footage of Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus One follow-up made its way online, and it is a little unusual.
It seems Yamazaki's next Godzilla project is a new theme park ride dubbed 'Godzilla the Ride: Great Clash.' The new attraction is set to open on August 1 at Tokyo's Seibuen Amusement Park. It features a moving ride vehicle synced to an epic Kaiju-sized clash (directed by Yamazaki) on a video screen presented in front of riders.
X user Kaiju No. 14 was the first to share the footage online, showing a first-person recording of the new ride. Yamazaki wrote, directed, and did VFX work on the attraction's recorded action sequence, showing a battle between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla that guests duck and weave in and out of.
This may seem a little unusual to some, as it is not often a big-name director taking his talents to the world of theme park rides (especially coming off a title as hot as Godzilla Minus One).
However, this is not even technically Yamazaki's first time committing to such an effort. In 2021, he directed 'Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle,' which also operated at Seibuen.
Godzilla Minus One is now streaming in the U.S. on Netflix, bringing its Oscar-winning action to streaming audiences stateside. The Japanese-language film has been heralded as one of the best monster movies of the modern era, injecting a level of emotional maturity not seen in most American Godzilla films. The movie follows several Japanese citizens in the wake of the war, as they have to contend with the emergence of the movie's iconic towering monster.
Will Godzilla Minus One 2 Ever Happen?
While it is exciting to see Takashi Yamazaki back working within the world of Godzilla, it is probably not too much of a stretch to say that this is not exactly the Godzilla Minus One follow-up fans were expecting.
Thankfully, this is just one project on a Kaiju-sized slate of projects for the award-winning director.
A proper feature film sequel to Godzilla Minus One has already been announced, with Yamazaki set to write, direct, and do visual effects again for the new movie (via Toho).
Not much is known about the sequel, other than it is reportedly getting prepped to film in Japan this August and could bring back several all-star members of the Minus One cast.
There were a couple of hanging threads left behind from Minus One's sweeping plot, so there is still plenty of narrative meat to gnaw on when the sequel eventually sees the light of day.
Hopefully, the Minus One follow-up can live up to the hype, and Yamazaki and his team can continue to ascend the ranks of international blockbuster filmmaking. Until then, fans will have to enjoy this new theme park ride from the Minus One director.
