Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus Zero, the heavily awaited sequel to 2023’s Godzilla Minus One, will reportedly see a world premiere at the New York Film Festival, slated for a 26th September debut as part of the festival’s Spotlight Gala selection at Alice Tully Hall.

Godzilla Minus Zero stars the original cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Yuki Yamada, Kuranosuke Sasaki, and Sakura Ando, alongside newcomer Min Tanaka, and will take place two years after the first film’s events, in 1949, as the Shikishima family face a new disaster. It stands as the Godzilla franchise’s 39th feature installment and the sixth part of the Reiwa era. The kaiju film also sees Yamazki credited for writing, directing and visual effects, with a recently reported runtime of two hours and fifteen minutes.

“It is truly an honor to introduce our film to a global audience for the first time in a place of such history and prestige,” the director shared in a statement. “I am filled with both awe and excitement to see how far the power of Japan’s Godzilla can terrify audiences around the world, and whether they will resonate with what lies beyond that fear.”

Dennis Lim, the festival’s artistic director, added, “More than 70 years after the first Godzilla movie, Takashi Yamazaki continues to prove that there’s life in the old franchise yet, returning to its postwar roots to locate a haunting, primal terror.”

“Like its predecessor, Godzilla Minus Zero is a throwback blockbuster, a showcase for human drama and innovative craft,” Lim shared. “We are excited to have its world premiere as this year’s NYFF Spotlight Gala.”

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Godzilla Minus One grossed $116 million at the global box office from an initial budget of $10 million, in addition to receiving twelve nods and eight wins at the 47th Japan Academy Film Prize and the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards. The film was also praised for its anti-war and anti-nuclear thematic stance, with the director likening Godzilla’s symbolism to a nuclear holocaust.

Godzilla Minus Zero will also see a November theatrical release. 

The 64th New York Film Festival will run from the 25th September to the 12th October.

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