The sequel to the critically acclaimed and box-office smash hit Godzilla Minus One has received a positive update. The sequel to the 2023 Godzilla film is officially titled Godzilla Minus Zero and is aiming for a 2026 release date, with director Takashi Yamazaki set to return. No plot details have emerged, but fans are already speculating whether Godzilla will face another Kaiju — and if so, which one.
Given that Yamazaki has already featured Godzilla foes like King Ghidorah and Rodan in his amusement park attraction, Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle, it seems like the director would want to try something new for his anticipated sequel. Godzilla has plenty of iconic foes, from Biollante to Gigan and even his first on-screen foe, Anguirus. Yet a popular fan theory for Godzilla Minus Zero is that the film will reimagine Hedorah, aka the Smog Monster.
Who Is Hedorah?
Hedorah was introduced in 1971’s Godzilla vs. Hedorah, or as it was known when released in the United States, Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster. Hedorah is an amorphous alien that arrives on Earth in a comet. It feeds on Earth’s pollution and grows into a giant sea monster capable of producing sulfuric acid. Hedorah proves to be one of Godzilla’s most formidable foes, as the creature’s chemical burns can eat through Godzilla’s seemingly impenetrable skin. Hedorah can move through the ocean, traverse land, and even fly, giving it an advantage over Godzilla’s limited mobility. Godzilla manages to defeat Hedorah thanks to a combination of his own atomic breath and a group of scientists creating electroids to dry out Hedorah’s skin.
Godzilla vs. Hedorah was the first and only film in the franchise directed by Yoshimitsu Banno. Banno came up with the idea for the film and the pollution-powered monster after seeing cities like Yokkaichi covered in black smog, the ocean filled with foam from dumped detergent. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka’s poor health kept him off set, allowing Banno to feature a now-infamous scene in which Godzilla uses his atomic breath to propel himself backward, which has been parodied and mocked in titles like Mystery Science Theater 3000. Tanaka hated the moment so much that he refused to allow Banno to direct another Godzilla film and said the director “ruined” Godzilla.
Hedorah was a one-off Godzilla villain, but was not intended to be. Before Tanaka barred Banno from making any more Godzilla films, the director had started drafting a script for Godzilla vs. Hedorah 2, which would see Godzilla fight another pollution monster in Africa. Banno hinted at Hedorah’s return in Godzilla vs. Hedorah, as the film ends with a cliffhanger: an illustration of Hedorah’s tadpole form, with the text “and yet another one?”
Following Tanaka’s death, Banno spent years trying to fund a sequel that would have taken the form of a 40-minute IMAX short titled Godzilla 3D: To the Max. The film would see a new version of Hedorah, now called Deathla. Sadly, the project was scrapped, and focus was shifted to the MonsterVerse version of Godzilla, where Banno served as an executive producer on the 2014 reboot. He passed away on May 7, 2017, and received posthumous credit for Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Takashi Yamazaki Has Discussed Wanting To Remake ‘Godzilla vs. Hedorah’
While Godzilla vs. Hedorah was initially met with harsh criticism from Japanese critics, it has since become a cult classic. Some of its biggest defenders include the late great Roger Ebert, MonsterVerse director Adam Wingard, and Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla Minus Zero director Takashi Yamazaki. In October 2024, during the 70th Anniversary Celebration of Godzilla at New York Comic-Con, Yamazaki was asked which previous Godzilla film he would remake. Yamazaki’s answer was Godzilla vs. Hedorah, saying:
“I think that for its time, Hedorah was a very cutting-edge kaiju, and thinking about the type of visual expression we can do with technology and how far it’s come today – I’m imagining how it would move, and I think that would be a really cool remake.”
Obviously, this is not a direct confirmation that Hedorah will be in Godzilla Minus Zero, or that the film will feature another kaiju besides Godzilla. Yet the fact that Yamazaki mentioned Hedorah a year before the official confirmation of Godzilla Minus Zero certainly raised some eyebrows. Imagining how a villain like Hedorah could be recreated using state-of-the-art special effects by the Oscar-winning team that brought Godzilla Minus One to life would be incredibly exciting. While the MonsterVerse has focused on the big names of Godzilla’s rogues gallery, like King Ghidorah, Rodan, Mothra, Mecha-Godzilla, and now a rumored role for Space Godzilla in Godzilla X Kong: Supernova, it would be appropriate to see a villain like Hedorah given the spotlight in the Toho-produced Godzilla Minus Zero.
Does the Title ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Give Away Hedorah’s Role in the Film?
While the title Godzilla Minus Zero has some speculating it is a hint at Monster Zero, aka King Ghidorah, it might also be a subtle hint that Hedorah will appear. Godzilla Minus One‘s name had two meanings, according to Takashi Yamazaki. It referenced how, after World War II, Japan transitioned from a “post-war zero situation” to a “minus.” It also meant the film’s action took place before 1954, the year the first Godzilla film was released. This suggests that Godzilla Minus Zero‘s name could reflect both Japan’s post-World War II standing and a 1954 setting. Zero would imply a place of normalcy, but the minus sign can’t help but give a foreboding sense.
If the story takes place in 1954, it might touch on the United States Castle Bravo thermonuclear weapon test at Bikini Atoll, which resulted in the passengers of the Lucky Dragon 5 tuna fishing boat being contaminated by nuclear ash. Traditionally, Godzilla’s origin is linked to the Castle Bravo test, but Minus One attributes his irradiation to the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. This means the Castle Bravo test could result in either his re-emergence in Godzilla Minus Zero or the creation of Hedorah, one born from Earth’s nuclear pollution and strengthened by the planet’s growing pollution, including more cars and factories across both Japan and the United States following World War II.
With Godzilla Minus Zero a year away, it will be some time until any further details emerge. Yet it would be fitting for a movie once seen as the franchise’s low point, later reclaimed by fans, to serve as the template for the sequel to what many call the best Godzilla movie ever made. With how Takashi Yamazaki made Godzilla terrifying once again, the idea of what he could do with a character like Hedorah could match, if not surpass, Godzilla Minus One.
- Release Date
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November 3, 2023
- Runtime
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124 minutes
- Director
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Takashi Yamazaki
- Writers
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Takashi Yamazaki
- Producers
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Keiichiro Moriya, Kazuaki Kishida, Kenji Yamada
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Ryunosuke Kamiki
Koichi Shikishima
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Minami Hamabe
Noriko Oishi
