Godzilla might not be joining the MCU, but Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki has met with Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
While speaking at the Tokyo International Film Festival, Yamazaki shared the positive reception he’s received about Godzilla Minus One’s release. One of the positive remarks came from “the president of Marvel,” presumably Feige, who approached Yamazaki and said, “Wadatsumi!” Wadatsumi is the name of the operation to destroy Godzilla toward the end of the film.
Yamazaki revealed an interesting tidbit about his interaction with Feige, who told the Godzilla Minus One filmmaker about Marvel’s desire to emulate the film’s success.
“He told me, ‘We’re all having meetings every day to see if we can make it happen like that,’” Yamazaki added via VirtualGorilla+. “I think it’s just lip service.”
Godzilla Minus One’s triumph was one of the best stories of the last year. Godzilla Minus One follows a disgraced Japanese WWII kamikaze pilot (Ryunosuke Kamiki) who earns a shot at redemption when he joins the fight to slay Godzilla. Written and directed by Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One grossed over $116 million against a budget of no more than $15 million.
One of the most impressive aspects of Godzilla Minus One is the visual effects. Considering Marvel spends nearly $200 million for each film, the fact that Godzilla Minus One was made for a fraction of the budget and looks better than most CGI-heavy films is a credit to Yamazaki and his team. Godzilla Minus One won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
Last week, Toho announced that another Godzilla movie from Yamazaki has been greenlit. Yamazaki will write, direct, and oversee the visual effects. It’s unknown if the new film will be a direct sequel to Godzilla Minus One.