Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki confirms that a follow-up is now in pre-production and says he’s got no desire to adopt AI anytime soon

Godzilla Minus One, one of 2023’s best movies, is getting a follow-up which will or is probably not a direct sequel (although we’re leaning in direction of ‘sure’ after that cliffhanger ending). After a comparatively silent 2024, writer-director Takashi Yamazaki has now confirmed he is onerous at work on pre-production for the film and has additionally shared his ideas on the matter of AI.

Toho’s refreshed big-screen efforts across the Godzilla franchise appear to be ramping up, all whereas its collaboration with Legendary Footage leads into Monarch season 2 plus the third Godzilla x Kong event movie, set to be launched in March 2027. Elsewhere, probably the most well-known kaiju of all time has proven up even in off-beat video video games like Dave the Diver.

Through Variety, we have discovered about Yamazaki’s new feedback on the Visible Results Society Awards. There, he confirmed he is at the moment engaged on the screenplay in addition to the primary storyboards for the following Godzilla film. Furthermore, he defined the price range he and his group are anticipating getting from Toho is anticipated to be increased than $15 million after Godzilla Minus One earned over $113 million globally simply with its theatrical run and earlier than making a splash on streaming providers like Netflix. In fact, taking house an Oscar for Finest VFX additionally helps Yamazaki’s case.

On the matter of AI being built-in into the VFX pipeline, he acknowledged its potential (actually, it is already been essential to assist work out and ship simulations for years), however can also be apprehensive about dropping “what people can” generate. With generative AI poisoning the complete AI effectively, it is a dialogue that is been onerous to maintain monitor of and navigate, which is why Yamazaki plans to maintain issues conventional whereas the brand new makes use of of AI are found out and controlled: “Proper now, it’s not in any of our pipelines due to that purpose, however the pace at which AI evolves is simply so immense that the place it goes from right here stays to be seen.”

He additionally added, fairly diplomatically, that he is a little bit of an old-school filmmaker who’s “nonetheless capturing on movie” and likes “to make use of miniatures,” so do not count on him to embrace AI, good or not, anytime quickly (if in any respect): “I am in all probability going to be one of many later ones, as a result of I do like working with older know-how and strategies.”