Godzilla Minus One director is trying to remake underrated Studio Ghibli movie

Fresh from making Godzilla Minus One, one of the best movies of the last year, it turns out director Takashi Yamazaki has been trying to get his hands on another icon of Japanese pop culture.

Godzilla Minus One proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the big-G still has plenty of life in them.

Yamazaki’s soft reboot of the Toho’s cinematic monster returned to their terrifying roots as a post-war demon that emerged from the deployment of nuclear weaponry.

The success of Godzilla Minus One, making over $106 million worldwide, speaks for itself. Now, all eyes are on Yamazaki for what’s next, and there’s an anime he has his eyes on – but it remains unlikely to happen.

Godzilla Minus One wants to remake Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Yamazaki has asked “many times” about doing a version of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Hayao Miyazaki’s manga and film which served as the foundation of Studio Ghibli. Sadly, he’s never gotten close.

Toshio Suzuki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli alongside Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, revealed as much on Bokura no Jidai, a Japanese talk show. “I’ve heard that many times from Yamazaki personally,” Suzuki says. “But the answer has always been no.”

It’s no surprise that Yamazaki has been rejected so much here – Ghibli is famously protective of everything it’s done, rarely allowing other companies or creators to use their characters or properties. Yamazaki was involved in many adaptations before Godzilla Minus One, including films such as Space Battleship Yamato, Stand By Me Doraemon, and Dragon Quest: Your Story, so he knows how to handle an established IP.

But, Ghibli is a different beast, and it may be a good thing that it hasn’t happened, as it makes Miyazaki’s work that much more special. Likewise, Yamazaki has been doing great work without remaking Nausicaä, so we’re not lacking in anything here.

Check out our lists of the best anime movies on Netflix and the best Studio Ghibli movies if this has inspired you to watch some classics.