Godzilla is making a triumphant return to cinemas. This time around, however, it won’t be under the Legendary Entertainment banner, but Toho's, meaning the King of the Monsters is returning to his original studio.
Godzilla has had a successful turn under Legendary Entertainment's stewardship of the franchise. The studio has been releasing Godzilla films for an American audience since 2014’s Godzilla. That film kicked off a cinematic universe known as the MonsterVerse, which most recently culminated in 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, where the two titans shared the screen for the first time in decades. In fact, the kaiju are set to make a return in Godzilla vs Kong 2.
According to Godzilla's official Japanese Twitter account, the kaiju will return to Japanese cinemas on November 3, 2022. The new film will be directed by Takashi Yamazaki. The title, plot, and further details have not yet been revealed, only a teaser for the movie was unveiled. The film marks Godzilla's return to Japanese cinemas. His last live-action entry for Japan was Shin Godzilla back in 2016, co-directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi.
That film included a new take on Godzilla that returned him from a hero to his villainous roots and provided a lot of body horror in his depiction. An animated trilogy, beginning with Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, was released in Japanese theaters from 2017 to 2018, as well. That take on the franchise was set in the far future and featured an Earth with a biosphere adapted to suit Godzilla.
For fans of the character, this could mean a new Japanese franchise for Godzilla. The kaiju has not been seen in a continuous Japanese live-action franchise since 2004's Godzilla: Final Wars. While the character’s profile has never gone away, recent successes at the box office have probably helped bring Godzilla back to the big screen.
The plot could be very intriguing. Plans for a Shin Godzilla sequel fell through, and Toho was unable to make a domestic Godzilla film due to their contract with Legendary, which stated that the studio could not make a live-action Godzilla film released in the same year as Legendary's take on the creature. This was effective until 2020. The film could be the start of a new continuity and a new Godzilla cinematic universe. Interestingly, the film is supposedly set in post-war Japan, which would be bringing the character right back to his roots.
Toho's untitled Godzilla film will be released in theaters on November 3, 2023.
Source: Godzilla/Twitter