Big News for Godzilla 2016! (update w/ video)

Wow, this is definitely unexpectedly great news! With Shinji Higuchi taking the helm with the FX, I'm willing to bet we will see suits with some CGI supplementing them.

OH BOOOOY AM I EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!! (well way more excited at least!)

Here's an official image they released with the announcement; their new Godzilla's foot print.

I like the little dew claw!

It was also confirmed in the various articles reporting this that the Godzilla in this film will be even bigger than Legendary's Godzilla.

But I must say, as real as this all looks, there's a chance it is an April Fool's joke. A very elaborate, widely-reported one at that, but I really hope it isn't.

I'm going to wait for a little more confirmation on this. It's too close to April Fools for my liking and I'm pretty sure it's April 1st in Japan right now.

It is April 1st in Japan, hence why I'm a bit cautious right now. It is supposedly all over major reputable news and websites in Japan, so either a lot of people are in on it, or everyone believes it. It sounds legitimate, though Hideaki Anno being the writer/director may be the most hard-to-believe part.

^Exactly. That's a whole lot of HUGE names being thrown at us that weren't rumored and last I heard Higuchi didn't even like Toho's production schedule for these films which is why he turned down GMK. Then again I think Toho is one of the production companies behind Attack on Titan so... I don't know what to think...

It could be an April Fools prank, but the time table is pretty close to what I predicted for this announcement as well.

Well, going by the reports, Anno was supposedly approached by Toho back in 2013 and turned it down, then signed on later. Higuchi may have been just too tempted to come back to do this after making the Attack on Titan films. I've seen Higuchi rumored quite a bit, but not Anno. This report is pretty complex and contains a lot of believable information with it, so if it's a prank it's very well thought-out.

Yeah and apparently the Japanese Wall Street Journal has reported it. The country is not very concious of April Fools so with the JWSJ reporting it... Well...

Guys, I think it's legit...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2or4LHf0Jk

^Just saw that on Monster Zero. I really want someone like August Ragone or Keith Aiken to confirm this. I feel safe with them giving it the thumbs up.

^Understandable, can't be too careful. :)

August Ragone just reported it. It's real. Holy, holy, holy hell!

Higuchi appears to be the film's actual director as well as director of special effects, with Anno as the screenwriter and chief director. That makes a lot more sense than Higuchi only coming on for special effects.

@King of the Monsters,

I wouldn't be surprised if Higuchi was in charge of directing the action sequences, while Anno directed the rest.

This would make the most sense as it would be his practical effects up there, and the man knows how to set up an action shot.

Duratok,
That's beent he case for most Godzilla movies and other toku though. The director focuses on the dramatic shots while the special effects directors pretty much have full reign of the visuals and monster action.

I think it's just because they're such good friends that they're sharing the credit. This is a huge deal. Not simply for Godzilla, but for Japan. This is a dream partnership for any science fiction franchise.

If its taller then the Legendary Godzilla there just doing that out of spite.

Not sure that's fair to say. They revealed they've been developing this before Godzilla '14 even started filming. The idea that Toho is doing this just to cash in on Legendary's movie is effectively inert because this thing has been in the cards for at the very least as early as Jan 2013.

I wonder big it is.

DAIKAIJU DANIELLE - Saints alive! This is amazing news! I can not wait to see what these fantastic artists will bring to us! Thank you so very much for locating and sharing this wonderful news with us! :)

Has anyone noticed the two trilobites crawling under Godzilla's foot in the promo image?

What a subtle, but incredibly awesome nod to Dr. Yamane finding the trilobite in the original film.

"Finally the time has come.  Playtime is over.  Next Year I will deliver the greatest and worst nightmare to everyone." ~Anno Hideaki

http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3338376/tohos-godzilla-gets-teaser-image-director/

^Actually Higuchi said it.

Haven't been a big fan of any of Anno's work that I've seen so while this may be a big name since I know many people defend his work to death, but for me this news is sorta eh.

Durp do you truly like anything?

Godzilla 2014 was in development since 2012 however...

Now I am more excited about this movie than Godzilla 2018.

I like plenty of things just because I don't share your likes doesn't mean I don't have any.

Gorilla,
Yes, but do you really think Hideaki and Higuchi had insider knowledge on Godzilla '14? Even movies under the same studio have contracts that keep filmmakers from knowing details about each others work and Godzilla '14 was made under a different studio. Since the size of Godzilla '14 wasn't revealed until late 2013 I doubt Hideaki and Higuchi had any knowledge of it. They're two of the most reknown visual artists in the country, they're not going to go into the script (outlined before G'14 started shooting) without an idea of how their Godzilla is going to look, move and stand.

Durp,
You're not the only one with reservations, but take into consideration that Higuchi is co-directing and has only improved in both visuals and dramatic handling over the course of his career.

Lets also recall the Hideaki and Higuchi partnership gave us one of the most moody and gorgeous shorts in toku.

This news could not be better.

Shinji Higuchi directing both live action and special effects.

I believe this means practical and digital effects.

I'm a very happy man.

The hype is real

I just watched the short on the link posted by Gman2887.

The makers of this are obviously two great artists. The short itself was beautiful: convincing enough to buy into, so to speak, but graced with that stylistic flair that distinguishes tokusatsu.

If these men are making Godzilla 2016, then I believe, God willing, we're going to see and experience something unprecedented in the genre.

After my disappointment (for different reasons) in both American productions, I have felt that Godzilla is better served as a Japanese production. So far, the lip service is encouraging, and I like the direction and tone they seem to want to take this in, but I remain cautiously optimistic. I'm a bit nervous regarding one of the filmmaker's comments regarding production schedule and budget (GMan's link to August Ragone's article), but still this is great news for us fans. At the very least, we don't have to wait another 3 years to see our favorite monster.

Go go Godzilla!

For me, this is like late 1998 all over again, when Toho announced that they were making another Godzilla film. I cannot adequately describe my joy at hearing and reading about this news. It feels real now, since we the names of artists to put with the film's production. What we know about Anno Hideaki and Shinji Higuchi will give us a lot to speculate about as the film moves toward being lensed. And that's a great deal of the fun, isn't it?

I could not be happier with the choices.

These are great times.

The directors' statements as posted on August Ragone's blog:

http://augustragone.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-directors-of-godzilla-2016-speak.html

Their enthusiasm and love for this project and its subject jump off the page at you. It's palpable.

Bravo, Toho.

August makes an educated guess that shooting will wrap before December giving Anno and Higuchi 5-7 months of post-production. That's nearly double the amount of time any of the Heisei and Millennium films got. And considering Higuchi is a far more talented effects director than the men in either of those eras I'm not too worried about the production schedule. At least not compared to previous movies.

The amount of time between the end of principal photography and the projected release is itself a cause for great hope for this film. Then, if you factor the skill and vision of the filmmakers into it, you have good reason to be optimistic about Toho Godzilla 2016.

In fact, the comments about the production schedule, along with the announcing of the filmmakers, have given me much hope that an imaginitive, artistically distinct Godzilla film is now just over the horizon. After reading the statements of Hideaki and Higuchi, I feel that this is within reach, like it's really going to happen. I believe more than ever, that this film will have wide appeal, and not just appeal to 'fans.'