GODZILLA MINUS ONE trailer shows a devastated post-WWII Japan facing a new threat

Today, TOHO Studios released the official trailer for the next Godzilla film, Godzilla Minus One, set to debut in Japan on November 3, 2023, and nationwide in the U.S. on December 1, 2023. 

Written, directed, and produced by award-winning filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One is the story of an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla. “Godzilla Minus One will once again show us a Godzilla that is a terrifying and overwhelming force, which you already get a sense of from the teaser trailer and poster,” said Koji Ueda, President of Toho International, elaborated to Forbes. “The concept is that Japan, which had already been devastated by the war, faces a new threat with Godzilla, bringing the country into the ‘minus.’”

Check out the new poster below:

Set to be TOHO’s 30th live-action film in its landmark kaiju franchise, Godzilla Minus One is the first domestic Japanese film since Shin Godzilla in 2016. While it may be TOHO’s first live-action Godzilla movie in seven years, the franchise has been going strong in the U.S. Not only will Godzilla appear in the upcoming Legendary Monsterverse film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Apple+ limited series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, but the kaiju has recently appeared in 2014’s Godzilla, 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and their 2021 sequel Godzilla vs. Kong, as well as the 2017 Netflix anime Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters and the IDW comic book series.

Both Yamazaki’s production company, Robo Communications Inc., and his VFX studio, Shirogumi Inc., are involved in the project. Yamazaki started in the film industry in 1986, working on Juzo Itami films like 1989’s Sweet Home and 1995’s A Quiet Life, but his directorial debut was in 2000 with Juvenile. He is a long-time fan of Godzilla. In his award-winning 2007 film Always Sunset on Third Street II, he included the kaiju in the opening sequence. He also directed and created the visual effects for the 3D-animated short film made for Seibun Amusement Park’s Godzilla The Ride.

Announced today, September 4, at a press conference held at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Natalie reported that the cast of Godzilla Minus One includes Ryunosuke Kamiki, playing Koichi Shikishima, a war survivor who lost his parents, and Minami Hamabe, playing Noriko Oishi, who meets Kamiki’s Shikishima on his way back from the war. Hamabe’s character is “living alone in postwar Japan in a burnt field.” In addition, Yuki Yamada plays the role of Shiro Mizushima, Takataka Aoki plays the role of Sosaku Tachibana, Hidetaka Yoshioka plays the role of Kenji Noda, Sakura Ando plays the role of Sumiko Ota, and Kuranosuke Sasaki plays the role of Koji Akitsu.

Watch the trailer below:

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