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Godzilla Minus One director's English language debut is headed to Sony, with J.J. Abrams producing

Grandgear, which is both the title and the only thing we know about Takashi Yamazaki's first English-language film, is a collaborative effort between the Godzilla Minus One director and J.J. Abrams's Bad Robot

Godzilla Minus One Takashi Yamazaki
Image credit: IMAX

Takashi Yamazaki was probably not known to American audiences just 11 months ago, but now, his name is at the top of Hollywood's "to get" list. That's because Yamazaki wrote, directed, and supervised the effects on Godzilla Minus One, a smashing box office sucess and the first film to get the Big G an Oscar. Now, Yamazaki's making even more inroads toward American audiences, with an English language film recently acquired by Sony Entertainment.

Grandgear, a movie for whose plot details are entirely under wraps, was the subject of a competitive bidding war, according to Deadline. What we do know is that not only did Sony win that war, but they ended up partnering with J.J. Abrams's Bad Robot production company, who will also produce the project. What's unclear from the report is whether Bad Robot was onboard to produce before Sony acquired the film, or if they came on once the deal was done.

And speaking of speculating, this story casts new light on Yamazaki's future with the Godzilla franchise. You may recall that Popverse reported the fact that Yamazaki and Toho are teaming up again for a Godzilla movie, but due to an earlier interview, it was unclear whether that new Godzilla movie will be a direct follow-up on the post-WWII Minus One. Essentially, the confusion boiled down to Yamazaki stating in February 2024 that a Godzilla Minus One sequel is "not going to be my next film." Now, if the movie he's referring to as his next is the newly announced Grandgear, then his reunion with Toho very well could be a Godzilla Minus Two (or whatever the title may be). If Grandgear comes after his next Toho collab, it could mean that his next Godzilla will be taking on a new metropolis (or giant monster) entirely.

We won't be able to tell you more until furthrer details of Grandgear or Yamazaki's next Godzilla movie emerge, but we can say that we're thrilled to see what a J.J. Abrams  and Takashi Yamazaki team-up could entail.

After all, it's been a while since we got a peak at that Cloverfield monster, hasn't it?


 

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. As Popverse's Staff Writer, he criss-crosses the pop culture landscape bringing you the news and opinions about the big things (and the next big things). In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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