Japan is taking back "Godzilla" for another reboot. Toho Studios announced that the "Godzilla" franchise will be getting yet another installment. This is not a sequel to the "Godzilla" movie shown in 2014.
According to Variety, "Godzilla 2016" is set to be co-directed by well-known Japanese filmmakers Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, with Anno working up the script and Higuchi handling the VFX for the massive monster movie. Anno and Higuchi previously worked together on "Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo", with Anno writing the script and Higuchi directing. Anno is an expert in animation and is well known for the anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion" from the '90s, while Higuchi is known for his 2006 directing "Japan Sinks".
Toho has produced 28 Godzilla movies since 1954. In 2014, Toho's "Godzilla" Final Wars", which was directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, earned a disappointing $12 million. After that, the Japanese production company licensed out remake rights to Warner Bros., which produced the 2014 "Godzilla" directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Ken Watanabe and Elizabeth Olsen. The 2014 remake earned $525 million worldwide.
Toho's announcement came after Warner Bros' declaration that Gareth Edwards will be doing a sequel for his 2014 "Godzilla" which will hit theaters on June 8, 2018. Fans are already excited on the possibility of a gigantic American vs. Japanese "Godzilla" showdown.
Toho Studios released the following statement to announce the remake: "Ever since Hollywood announced that Godzilla was to be resurrected, the expectation for another Japanese Godzilla grew. And if we were to newly produce, we looked into Japanese creators who were the most knowledgeable and who had the most passion for Godzilla. ... Their [Higuchi and Anno] drive to take on such new challenges was exactly what we all had been inspired by."
The Japanese remake of "Godzilla" will begin production this spring and is currently slated to be released in summer of 2016.
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