After years of speculation, Shin Godzilla director Shinji Higuchi finally addressed the possibility of a sequel to the 2016 hit. Speaking exclusively with The Direct at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2025, Higuchi shared his candid thoughts on whether he'd ever return to helm another installment. The original film, co-directed by Hideaki Anno and Higuchi, was a critically acclaimed reboot that helped add to the legacy before 2023's Godzilla Minus One.
Toho International brought the heat to SDCC 2025 with its massive "Godzilla at 70: Seven Decades of the King of the Monsters" panel, headlined by Shin Godzilla co-director Shinji Higuchi.
While there was no earth-shattering sequel announcement, fans were treated to a celebration of Godzilla across toys, comics, and cinema. The panel featured appearances from major brand partners like Bandai, Mondo, Super7, and creators behind IDW and DC's latest Godzilla comics, culminating in a surprise visit from King of the Monsters star and superfan O'Shea Jackson Jr.
In the weeks before SDCC, a 4K theatrical re-release of Shin Godzilla was announced, coming Thursday, August 14 via GKIDS in the United States.
Higuchi took the stage to reflect on the legacy of the 2016 film and had earlier spoken exclusively with The Direct about whether he'd ever return for a sequel.
Unfortunately for fans who may want to see Higuchi return to the Godzilla franchise, he didn't seem very interested: "I prefer to just come to Comic-Con, buy some toys, and play:"
"Well, I think if I were to make a sequel, then that's going to mean I'm going to have a lot more work, and I prefer to just come to Comic-Con, buy some toys, and play. So I don't know what kind of themes I would put into a sequel."
While there was no update on a Shin Godzilla sequel, Higuchi was happy to discuss the original film's 4K re-release in theaters. When asked about what fans can expect from the remastered version, the director said "the texture" of the old politicians' skin "has been enhanced a lot:"
"I don't know how this will land with different international audiences, but one thing I can say is, as we went through the remaster and upscaling process. One thing that is very evident is all the old men, the politicians in the boardrooms, you can kind of see the texture on their skin, so that has been enhanced a lot."
Diving a bit further, he made a comparison to Willem Dafoe's character from The Lighthouse as the "benchmark that [they] set when [they] went to remaster everyone's texture:"
"So I don't know if you're familiar with the A24 film, 'Lighthouse'...but Willem Defoe, that's the kind of our benchmark that we set when we went to remaster everyone's texture."
When asked about the design process behind Shin Godzilla, Higuchi emphasized the importance of honoring the franchise's legacy, saying, "We owe a lot to the 1954 original 'Godzilla:'"
"I think what we've built is really built on decades of history. So we owe a lot to the 1954 original 'Godzilla,' of course, for the design that you see."
He explained that while the final design was intense, earlier concepts "were even worse:"
"And I know you said that there's some grotesque body horror elements, but there were actually some designs that were even worse. In the initial concepting phase, Godzilla being almost this metaphor for the atom bomb, there were versions that had, like, skin was all messed up."
Ultimately, Higuchi said they reined in some of those more extreme ideas to strike the right balance:
"So the version that we see, ultimately, that we landed on wasn't quite that far on the scale, perhaps, but I guess it did evoke that kind of intention."
The full interview can be seen below:
Tickets are on sale now for Shin Godzilla, hitting domestic theaters on Thursday, August 14.
The Expanding Godzilla Universe
Over the past decade, Godzilla has seen a major resurgence through both Hollywood blockbusters and acclaimed Japanese reimaginings.
Legendary Pictures kicked off the Monsterverse with Godzilla, followed by King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV+), and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. This resurgence has sparked debates on which Godzilla is the tallest, as more projects are actively being done.
Meanwhile, Toho revitalized the character most recently with Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus One, which earned international praise and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
Yamazaki debuted the first footage from his next Godzilla project, a new theme park attraction titled Godzilla the Ride: Great Clash, now open at Tokyo's Seibuen Amusement Park.
A direct sequel is now in development, with Yamazaki returning to write, direct, and oversee VFX once again. Filming is expected to begin in Japan this August, with reports hinting at the return of key cast members. While plot details are under wraps, fans are hopeful the follow-up will build on the emotional depth and intensity that made Minus One a global standout.
