Godzilla Minus One Release Date, Cast, Director And More Info

Nearly 70 years ago, monster movies changed forever with the introduction of Godzilla. The Japanese prehistoric monster awoke from its slumber in 1954 to terrorize villagers from Odo Island, announcing its presence with loud, lumbering footsteps and a bone-chilling roar. Since the original "Godzilla," kaiju movies have become a subgenre all their own, populated by epic monsters like Mothra and Ghidorah, with regular installments that range from corny to incredible.

In recent years, Hollywood has gotten in on the Godzilla game with Legendary Pictures' own spin on the world of giant monsters. But as exciting as it is to watch Kyle Chandler, Brian Tyree Henry, and Millie Bobby Brown face off against Godzilla, Japanese studio Toho (home to the vast majority of Godzilla flicks ever made) has something even more thrilling up its sleeve: a movie that looks poised to recapture the post-war terror of the beloved original. "Godzilla Minus One" is still a few months away, but it's never too early to prepare yourself for a kaiju attack — by checking out everything we know about the movie so far.

Plot details for "Godzilla Minus One" are limited, but official synopses and a first look at the film indicate that it might follow in the giant footsteps of the very first movie in the franchise, 1954's Ishirō Honda movie "Godzilla" — which was also released via Toho. Here's the brief synopsis for the movie that was shared via TIFF:

After the war, Japan has been reduced to zero. Godzilla appears and plunges the country into a negative state. Against the most desperate situation in the history of Japan, how — and with whom — will Japan stand up to it?

The war in question is World War II, which changed Japan forever as the country, initially part of Axis forces, ended up under Allied occupation and was infamously subject to the first and only two uses of the atomic bomb. The original "Godzilla" took place against the backdrop of this tragic legacy, and the new movie looks like it's set to explore it further. The tagline shared in conjunction with its trailer reads: "In postwar Japan, a new terror rises; Godzilla. Will the devastated people be able to survive ... let alone fight back?"

"Godzilla Minus One" is directed by Takashi Yamazaki, who also wrote the movie and provided visual effects. An acclaimed filmmaker with multiple Japanese Academy Awards under his belt, Yamazaki has directed movies including "Lupin III: The First" (pictured above), "Stand By Me Doraemon," and "Dragon Quest: Your Story." Though not best-known as a "Godzilla" director, this isn't actually the first time Yamazaki has incorporated the giant beast into his works. The filmmaker snuck a Godzilla sequence into the movie "Always: Sunset on Third Street 2" and designed a Godzilla ride at a famous Japanese theme park.

In a press release shared by SciFi Japan, Yamazaki talked a bit about his vision for the new film, saying:

"The film depicts an existence that gives unprecedented despair. The title 'Godzilla Minus One' was created with this in mind. In order to depict this, the staff and I have worked together to create a setting where Godzilla looks as if "fear" itself is walking toward us, and where despair is piled on top of despair. I think this is the culmination of all the films I have made to date, and one that deserves to be 'experienced' rather than 'watched' in the theater."

The trailer for "Godzilla Minus One" dropped on YouTube in early September, and has since already garnered an impressive 7.7 million views and counting. The first look at the new film shows off some ambitious special effects, as well as several key elements that seem to tie the movie back to the original, classic "Godzilla." A postwar Japan setting, an injured young man, boat attacks and underwater explosions, atomic bomb-like imagery, and Godzilla's creature design and signature roar all seem to pay homage to the Honda film.

The "Godzilla Minus One" trailer includes plenty of carnage and terror, but it also features an intriguing voiceover declaring, "That monster will never forgive us." Will this version of Godzilla be, as Honda's was, an unwitting product of nuclear war that didn't ask to be born (or killed)? Given how closely the imagery here hews to the original film, it seems likely. You can catch the full 88-second trailer above.