With the first Godzilla coming out in 1954, the massive monster has one of the longest-running movie franchises ever. The newest entry in the series, Godzilla Minus One, is being called one of the best in the character’s history, if not the absolute best. The movie has been a hit, with Godzilla making bank at the U.S. box office while also being a success in Japan, so the question of potential sequels is already in the air. Director Takashi Yamazaki certainly isn’t against making another Godzilla movie, but he calls his feelings on the idea “complicated.”
The ending of Godzilla Minus One leaves the door open to a direct sequel, and with the success the movie has already seen, one has to believe a follow-up is a real possibility. This would be the first Japanese Godzilla film to see a direct sequel in several years, as many of the projects over the different Godzilla movie eras have been standalone or had nebulous continuity at best.
Godzilla has often been a franchise that has allowed different filmmakers to put their own spin on the character, which is why it seems writer/director Takashi Yamazaki is conflicted. He tells GQ Japan that he wants somebody else to do their own version of Godzilla, while at the same time, he doesn’t want to let anybody else do it. He explained…
I’d like to see someone else’s Godzilla, but I want to make one next time as well. I’ve got very complicated feelings.
Yamazaki clearly loved making Godzilla Minus One to the point where he apparently doesn’t want to leave the franchise right now. At the same time, he would love to see somebody else be given a chance to make their Godzilla movie, which is only fair, as he was also given that chance.
Considering the last Japanese big screen out for the massive monster, Shin Godzilla was also well received, and acted as a major influence for Godzilla Minus One, but didn’t end up getting a sequel, there’s certainly no guarantee that this new film would could get one simply because of its success. The practice of doing one-off movies with new creative forces behind each one is clearly working. It’s all but certain there will be more Godzilla movies, but they could be anything.
The only Godzilla movie we know for sure we’re getting is next year’s American Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, the next entry in Legendary’s Monsterverse, which is officially its own thing and unconnected to any of Japan’s movies. The Godzilla X Kong cast will include several new additions, as well as returning cast from Godzilla vs. Kong, so we know this one will be a true sequel.
While Godzilla Minus One’s monster may return, the real story of the movie, that of the human characters, does seem to have reached a satisfying conclusion. So even if there is a sequel, it could ultimately be a very different movie.