Godzilla Minus One Director Wants To Helm A Star Wars Movie, And Maybe Lucasfilm Should Listen [Exclusive]
"Godzilla Minus One" is not only one of the best movies of the year, but one of the best "Godzilla" movies ever, with /Film's own Witney Seibold saying in his review that it includes "some of the best, most exciting destruction visuals in the franchise's long history."
The film follows in the footsteps of Hideaki Anno's "Shin Godzilla" in reinventing the king of monsters, but it also looks back at the very origins of the franchise. The result is a movie that gives us a human story as compelling and thrilling to watch as Godzilla wreaking havoc. This is a monster that is utterly terrifying, and one with an upgraded power move that is closer to the imagery of nuclear armageddon than anything in this 70-year franchise — making it a pseudo "Oppenheimer" sequel.
Director Takashi Yamazaki brings to "Godzilla Minus One" the same energy and the same great eye for visual effects that he gave other reimaginings of popular characters and franchises like "Space Battleship Yamato," "Parasyte," and "Lupin III: The First." Having now tackled one of the biggest franchises in Japan, Yamazaki is setting his sights on another huge IP, one that is set in a galaxy far, far away.
Speaking with /Film ahead of the U.S. release of "Godzilla Minus One," Yamazaki immediately knew what he'd like to tackle next. "I watched 'Star Wars,' and that's how I ended up being a filmmaker," he said. "I'm really hoping I will get a call and they will bring me on 'Star Wars.'"
Now, if the people at Lucasfilm have any common sense, they'd listen to Yamazaki.
Hear the man out!
For one, having someone like Takashi Yamazaki helm a "Star Wars" project would mean bringing in someone with experience in visual effects as well as writing and directing. This could be a refreshing change to the underwhelming visuals of the past few "Star Wars" films and movies, as Yamazaki works as a visual effects supervisor on his own projects.
Rather than continue the trend of grabbing untested indie directors and giving them a production much bigger than they can handle, how about grabbing a tested director who knows how to reinvent known properties while also handling heavy VFX? Look what Yamazaki can do with a small budget in "Godzilla Minus One," and imagine what he could do with Lucasfilm money.
Then there's the benefit of a fresh new perspective, of Yamazaki being able to reinvent the franchise and add a new take. "I think a more Japanese or even just Eastern take on 'Star Wars,' would be really, really interesting, so I hope they call me up," he said.
This is the key, the reason why Lucasfilm seriously needs to pick up the phone right now. Just look at the huge success of "Star Wars: Visions" and how it revitalized the franchise creatively. The animated anthology shows what could be possible in the galaxy far, far away, not just with animation, but with the stories its episodes tell as well. "Star Wars" has always owed a lot to Japanese cinema, so why not bring it full circle by letting a Japanese filmmaker make a "Star Wars" movie?