Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki has responded to James Gunn revealing Superman was inspired by the kaiju movie, and it’s incredibly wholesome.
“Yeah, I’m a little teary-eyed,” Yamakazi wrote on Twitter. Along with directing the Godzilla movie, Yamakazi also wrote the script and supervised the Oscar-winning VFX, so we’re not surprised this made him emotional.
“My goal is to make a film like Godzilla Minus One, which depicted Godzilla but also had great human drama,” Gunn said recently.
“At its core is a human story,” he continued. “The relationship between Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and villain Lex Luthor is at the core of the work.”
Godzilla Minus One was praised not just as one of the best Godzilla movies upon its release, but also as one of the best films of 2023. The film was also highly praised for its compelling human story, which follows Kōichi Shikishima, a kamikaze pilot with PTSD in post-war Japan, and the new family he finds in the aftermath of the war.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard Yamakazi’s movie inspired a superhero universe, either. Marvel boss Kevin Feige also seems to be influenced by the film – specifically its action. “The president of Marvel told me, ‘Wadatsumi!'” Yamazaki has previously revealed, referring to the operation to destroy Godzilla at the end of the movie. “He told me, ‘We’re all having meetings every day to see if we can make it happen like that,'” he added. “I think it’s just lip service.”
Superman, the first film of DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, is released this July 11. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows for everything else that’s on the way.