Rumor: "Shin Godzilla 2" In Development?
As the release for Godzilla Minus Zero creeps ever so closer, hype for the movie is really building up. Tickets are on sale right and there are merchandise releasing with the movie. There are the 19 inch Godzilla popcorn bucket, soda cups, poster sized art, and popcorn bucket busts (sold only in certain locations). However, it is said that this will be the last in the "Minus" series. It was hinted at in the movie's trailers with the tag line "There is no third time" and director Takashi Yamazaki has signed on with major Hollywood studios to work on other projects. This actually brings up a question of where Toho Co. may want to take Godzilla in the future. Apparently, according to the rumor-mill, a sequel to the 2016 movie, Shin Godzilla, is already in active development.
Coming from a Japanese website called Smart Flash, the article states the rumored sequel was confirmed by film industry officials. Who these film industry officials are remain unknown.
The article quotes the insider, as translated, "We're in the works on Shin Godzilla 2. Shin Godzilla is a blockbuster film released in 2016, with Hideaki Anno, known for planning and directing the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion series, serving as general director. At the time, it was the first Godzilla film in 12 years, and it attracted a lot of attention. The box office revenue reached 8.25 billion yen. Ten years later, a sequel is being planned."
The article goes on to list apparent returning cast members such as Hiroki Hasegawa and Satomi Ishihara. In the 2016 film, they played the main characters Rando Yaguchi and Kayoko Anne Patterson. However, there are even new cast members listing Minami Hamabe (who is known to play Noriko in Minus One and Minus Zero) and Tasuku Emoto. Emoto is known to have played the role of Kamen Rider No. 2, Hayato Ichimanji, in Shin Kamen Rider. So already, you have two actors that has had prior experience with either Godzilla or the "Shin" series.
Back in 2025, there was a Bloomberg article that also confirmed Shin Godzilla 2 was in development. At the time, it was also considered a rumor because it was the only place reporting on a sequel. Yet, it is not unheard of.
Shin Godzilla was the biggest come back for the franchise. Ever since Godzilla: Final Wars 2004, the monster was put into dormancy and had a very long hiatus. That was until Legendary Pictures released Godzilla in 2014 with Gareth Edwards as director. While the movie had its issues, there was no denying the movie's financial success made Toho decide to resurrect their version of the monster once again. This time using the 2011 tsunami, the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, and the Japanese government's handling of these disasters as the skeleton for Shin Godzilla.
After the movie's success, Hideaki Anno drafted a script for an unmade sequel under the working title "Shin Godzilla's Counter Attack." The idea was to go back to the classic Godzilla style with monster fights to appease the fans that did not like the first movie. However, it did not go anywhere and was shelved.
Ten years after the movie's release, merchandise and attractions for Shin Godzilla are still being made. Just recently, a "Shin Godzilla vs Evangelion 2" pachinko machine was announced. Before that, there was a whole "Shin" universe called the "Shin Japan Heroes Universe" which was a huge merchandise collaboration of Hideaki Anno's works. This ranged from Shin Godzilla to Shin Ultraman to Evangelion and Shin Kamen Rider. And even before that, there was a theme park attraction at Universal Studios Japan called "Shin Godzilla vs Evangelion: The Real 4-D," which featured a new design of King Ghidorah that many fans want to see in a live action film to this day.
Even though this is still a rumor and should be approached with some doubt, the possibility that a sequel to the 2016 film years later is not impossible. Seeing that Toho is still creating merchandise and people are still talking about the movie to this day it would not be surprising for Toho's next step after Godzilla Minus Zero is to go back to Shin Godzilla. It is the only other Japanese Godzilla film that really broke the bank in Japan. And if we do, I don't think we will hear about it at this year's Godzilla-Fest since Minus Zero would have released and would not make sense to announce the next movie on top of a new movie's release. I speculate it would have to be announced at the next anniversary event, if a Shin Godzilla 2 is actually in development.
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