Today, in celebration of ‘Godzilla Day", TOHO has announced the long-awaited next installment in the Godzilla franchise! Award-winning Japanese filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki has been announced to be pulling triple duty on the untitled film. He will be directing, writing, and serving as a visual effects supervisor. Not much is known about the film yet, but it is expected to be live-action. TOHO also announced that the new film has already finished filming and will be released in Japan in exactly one year, on the next “Godzilla Day”, on November 3, 2023.This news is very exciting for Godzilla fans, ever since the first film was released in 1954 TOHO has kept the franchise alive. However, in recent years, their films have slowed. This new film will be the first live-action Godzilla movie from TOHO since 2016’s Shin Godzilla. Additionally, when Shin Godzilla came out, it was the first live-action film since 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars. While TOHO has released animated movies since, and there are the recent American films from Legendary pictures, to some fans there is nothing quite like a live-action TOHO Godzilla.Yamazaki is a great choice to direct the new movie for many reasons. He is a prominent award-winning Japanese director who also has experience in visual effects, something a Godzilla movie definitely needs. Yamazaki gained his most international acclaim for his 2005 drama Always: Sunset on Third Street, which won him the best director and screenplay Japanese Academy Film Prizes, the Japanese film industry’s equivalent of an Academy Award. He is also a great fit for a Godzilla movie because he has worked on them before! Yamazaki was part of the visual effects team on Shin Godzilla.toho godzilla announcementRELATED: Godzilla Day Is Going All Out With Screenings, King Trivia, New Merchandise, and MoreIt is important to note that this film will be part of the continuity established by TOHO, the original creator of the character. It is not expected for this film to connect to the recent Godzilla franchise established by Legendary Pictures with films like 2014’s Godzilla and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Although, that franchise is also still going strong. Recently it released Godzilla Vs. Kong, with a sequel currently filming in Australia. That franchise is also about to get a spin-off series on AppleTV+.The news was first announced on the official Japanese Godzilla Twitter account and then further announced on the Japanese entertainment news site Mantan Web. Stay tuned to Collider for any future updates and check out the trailer for TOHO’s most recent live-action Godzilla film, Shin Godzilla, below: