Development Godzilla Minus One (2023) was seen as a major success in Japan and the Western world, becoming one of the
highest-grossing Japanese films of all time and winning the
Academy Award for Best Visual Effects among its
many accolades. On November 1, 2024, the film's director
Takashi Yamazaki was confirmed to helm another
Godzilla film, first announced during
Godzilla Minus One's Japanese television broadcast on
Nippon Television's ''
. At that time, Toho did not disclose if it would be a direct sequel to Godzilla Minus One
or a standalone film. At the 23rd Visual Effects Society Awards on February 11, 2025, Yamazaki revealed scripting and storyboarding of his follow-up was ongoing and expected a budget higher than that of Godzilla Minus One'''s, which cost less than .
Pre-production In June 2025, the
Agency for Cultural Affairs–commissioned "Film Staff Development Project" disclosed that filming for Yamazaki's next movie would take place from early August to December 2025, and they were seeking film students to recruit. On July 17,
Bloomberg News reported that
Toho International's president, Kōji Ueda, clarified that the new
Godzilla film would be a sequel and a 2026 release was currently planned. On July 27, the site yamazakimovie-extra.jp was launched to find volunteer extras for the film from August to September. It recycled the
placeholder used for
Minus One during pre-production and confirmed Toho would be financing with
Robot Communications, featuring an all-star Japanese cast. The official website also initially contained
metadata in its
source code identifying the project as a
Godzilla film and stating that
Ryunosuke Kamiki and
Minami Hamabe would return. By July 30, this text had been removed shortly after it was discovered and shared by a
Twitter user. Filming was expected to wrap in late December. Filming occurred around
Seijōgakuen-mae Station on November 25, and in
Inashiki District, Ibaraki on December 15. At the opening ceremony of Godzilla Fest 2025, held on November 3, 2025, at the
Tokyo Dome City Hall, Toho unveiled the official title of Yamazaki's next Godzilla feature as
Godzilla Minus Zero. It was also announced that
Shirogumi will handle VFX; and production is shared between
Toho Studios and Robot Communications. Industry sources told
The Hollywood Reporter the same day that "the new film is being positioned not just as a sequel but as a statement piece". == Release ==