Godzilla Minus One, the 37th film in the franchise, was one of the biggest films of 2023. The behemoth that was the result of nuclear testing smashed its way into becoming a global success.
Helmed by Takashi Yamazaki, the film is set in Japan after the Second World War. Sakura Ando played a small but significant role in the film, and the Japanese star has an epic wish should the film get a sequel.
Sakura Ando has one wish for a Godzilla Minus One sequel
The Takashi Yamazaki film chronicles the life of Kōichi Shikishima, a kamikaze pilot. Shikishima’s world is turned upside down when Godzilla attacks the naval base one night, and the pilot fails to act on his chance to kill the Kaiju.
When Shikishima manages to return to Tokyo, he finds that his parents died during the airstrikes. As he tries to salvage his life, the Kaiju is empowered by the US conducting nuclear tests in Bikini Atoll and is on a collision course with Japan. Shikishima is on a mission to kill the titan, and he leaves his girlfriend, Akiko, under his neighbor Sumiko Ōta’s care.
Ando, the Japanese Academy Awards winner, played the neighbor Sumiko Ōta. Given the success of the film, the actress opened up about her hopes for a possible sequel and her role in it.
“I’m only a small part in it. But, I’m still alive, so I think, if there’s a sequel, I’d like to be in it. But I didn’t get to meet Godzilla in the film, so if there is a sequel I would like to meet and fight Godzilla!” she said (via Express UK).
Sakura Ando wants her character to fight Godzilla in a sequel to Godzilla Minus One.
“I didn’t get to meet Godzilla in the film, so if there is a sequel I would like to meet and fight Godzilla! I would be jumping like this Spider-Man-type woman taking down Godzilla.” pic.twitter.com/f9cQrmyQIf
— Kaiju No. 14 (@14_kaiju) March 18, 2024
Godzilla Minus One is the most successful Japanese film of all time. With a box office collection of $107 million, it surpassed Shin Godzilla, the previous record holder, by a wide margin.
Takashi Yamazaki found more than just monetary success with this film. Godzilla Minus One even managed to nab a win at the Oscars this year. This has only raised expectations for a sequel, and Yamazaki is more than ready to delve into this world again.
Is a sequel to Godzilla Minus One in the pipeline for the director?
Yamazaki managed to tell an evocative story that explored the devastation of the nuclear bombings and the trauma that resulted from them. Made on a budget of around $10 million, it earned tenfold at the box office.
During an interview with Empire Magazine, Yamazaki opened up about a possible sequel. He could not guarantee that there would be one, but he was curious about the future of the characters.
“I would certainly like to see what the sequel would look like. I know that Shikishima’s war seems over, and we’ve reached this state of peace and calm – but perhaps [it’s the] calm before the storm, and the characters have not yet been forgiven for what has been imposed upon them,” he said.
The primary success behind Godzilla Minus One was the grounded way in which the story was told. If there is a sequel in the future, Yamazaki has a template to replicate his success.
