Live-action Attack on Titan director teases Godzilla plans

Coming off mixed reviews of his live-action Attack on Titan film, fans may recall that Shinji Higuchi is also tasked with directing TOHO‘s upcoming Godzilla film with fellow tokusatsu lover Hideaki Anno. Helming the first Japanese Godzilla film in 12 years is no small feat. In fact, Higuchi almost turned down the offer because of the sheer amount of pressure that comes with directing such an iconic monster.

Details on what to expect are scarce and Higuchi isn’t allowed to say much. What he did reveal in an interview with the Associated Press is that Anno finished the script just recently and shooting will begin in September. Fans that took issue with the special effects and budget of Attack on Titan can expect a similar look. Higuchi calls the blend of actors moving through miniatures (a staple of the early Godzilla films), computer graphics, and special effects a “hybrid.” This was utilized on the Titans and the new Godzilla film will get the same treatment.

He also promises that this will be the scariest Godzilla yet, quoting the horrors of the real world, like 9/11, the March 11 tsunami, and subsequent Fukushima nuclear crisis having stripped the the world of its innocence. That said, he also says the film is going back to the basics.

“Perhaps we are all waiting for that horrible thing that’s within us that we fear.”

Higuchi and Anno previously collaborated on “Kyōshinhei Tokyo ni Arawaru” (Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo), Ghibli’s live-action tokusatsu short. Higuchi’s other special-effect director credits include Japan Sinks, the Gamera films, and the 1984 Godzilla film.

Source: ABC News

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