Godzilla is experiencing a renaissance of sorts in the U.S. thanks to 2014’s well-received blockbuster, but it’s been over a decade since the King of the Monsters was the focus of a movie produced by the studio that first brought him to the big screen: Japan’s Toho Studios. That changes next year, however, when Godzilla: Resurgence stomps into theaters.
Toho released the very first teaser and poster for Godzilla: Resurgence this week, and while the preview doesn’t reveal too much about the iconic monster’s next adventure, the poster does offer a good idea of how Godzilla — or at least, his head — will look in the upcoming film.
The first Godzilla movie produced by Toho since 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars, Resurgence will also be the studio’s 29th film about the infamous monster with atomic breath and a fondness for demolishing Tokyo. The brief teaser simply shows crowds of people running in a panic away form some unseen threat, and the preview closes with the sound of Godzilla’s famous roar and the impact of his massive steps.
The poster, however, reveals quite a bit about the makeover Godzilla will receive in the new film. Clearly drawing from the classic, rubber-suited versions of Godzilla over the years, the new look for the King of the Monsters features beady eyes, lots of teeth, and his trademark fins.
Godzilla: Resurgence was co-directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, filmmakers best known for their work on the animated Neon Genesis Evangelion movie (along with many of its sequels and spinoffs) and the recent, live-action Attack on Titan movies, respectively. The script was also penned by Anno, with Higuchi supervising the visual effects for the film.
In an interview with ABC News earlier this year, Higuchi stated that Resurgence will utilize more computer-generated effects than previous installments of the franchise under Toho, and indicated that the film will be darker than the last batch of Godzilla movies.
“In movie after movie, people merely ran away from the stampeding monster, and no one tried to face up to the issue of accountability,” he said of the tone the film will take with its human cast and their interaction with Godzilla.
Godzilla: Resurgence is currently scheduled to hit theaters in Japan on July 29, 2016. North American release dates are unknown at this point, but will almost certainly be announced as we get closer to the film’s premiere.
