Japan's 'Godzilla' director wants to surprise

[yuiyoshida]

In this July 31, 2015 photo, director Shinji Higuchi speaks during an interview in Tokyo. Higuchi, the director and special-effects whiz chosen by Toho Co. for the made-in-Japan comeback, is hoping to one-up last year’s Hollywood version, with not only the biggest Godzilla filmed ever, but one that takes up challenges previous ones haven’t attempted. (AP Photo/Yuriko Nakao)


TOKYO —

Radiation-breathing Godzilla destroyed so many cities and fought so many monsters, the original Japanese film series outgrew its budget and audience. So the filmmaker working on the revival will go back to the basics while still looking to surprise.

Shinji Higuchi, the director and special-effects whiz chosen by Toho Co. for the made-in-Japan comeback, is hoping to one-up last year’s Hollywood version, with not only the biggest Godzilla filmed ever, but one that takes up challenges previous ones haven’t attempted.

“I’m confident I am among the top-50 lovers of Godzilla in the world. That’s how much I love Godzilla,” he told The Associated Press in a recent interview at a Tokyo office. “Maybe I’m not in the top 10, but definitely in the top 50.”

Higuchi, 49, a burly, unpretentious man with curly hair, swears he loves all the Godzilla movies, even the bad ones. He knows his Godzilla through and through, he said with a laugh.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/entertainment/view/ap-interview-japans-godzilla-director-wants-to-surprise