The GODZILLA MINUS ONE director talks about the franchise, his film and why he initially refused to direct it

I’m pretty excited to watch Toho’s upcoming release Godzilla minus one film, which recently had its world premiere at the Tokyo Film Festival. It just looks fantastic Godzilla film and, during a recent interview with Deadline, to the director Takashi Yamazaki talked about the franchise and his film and explained why he had previously turned down the opportunity to direct it several times.

The film is set in post-war Japan,”Godzilla minus one will once again show us a Godzilla who is a terrifying and overwhelming force. After the war, Japan’s economic situation was reduced to zero. Godzilla appears and throws the country into a negative state.”

Speaking about his relationship with the franchise and when he first encountered Godzilla, Yamazaki shared that Godzilla is what led him to become a filmmaker:

“There was a time when Toho kaiju films, including Godzilla, would air when professional baseball games were canceled due to rain, and I think that’s how my relationship with Godzilla began. Eventually, through comics, I learned that there were people who made monster movies as a career, and that’s what led me to my current job as a director.”

When talking about how he came up with this Godzilla project, he explained how he initially turned down the offer to direct it and what it was that changed his mind and finally decided to accept it:

“I was contacted several times but refused until my team’s technology was able to express the Godzilla I had imagined. After watching Shin Godzilla, my motivation increased and my technology evolved greatly. I was formally contacted again and decided to give it a try.

The director is then asked what the differences are between the American version of Godzilla and what Toho did with the monster, and he responds by saying:

“Toho’s Godzilla is depicted as both a monster and a god, while the American-made Godzilla appears to have a more monstrous flavor.”

Toho has always made the best Godzilla movies. Legendary Studios dropped the ball on the franchise here in the US, but they have a new series on the way Monarch: Monster Legacy and another movie Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which might be decent. We’ll just have to wait and see.

When we previously share some insights into what fans can expect to see Godzilla minus onethe director said:

“I’ve always had the image that Godzilla is a nuclear threat, or the shadow of war in the form of a monster. So, if I was allowed, [his own Godzilla film]I wanted to do it in that era [post WWII].”

“Post-war Japan has lost everything. The film depicts an existence of unprecedented desperation. The title Godzilla Minus One was created with this in mind. To represent this, the staff and I worked together to create a setting where Godzilla feels like ‘fear’ itself is walking towards us, and where despair is piled on top of despair.”

Godzilla minus one will be released in American theaters on December 1st.