Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi to Direct Toho’s New Godzilla

Famed anime creator Hideaki Anno will team up with special effects director Shinji Higuchi for the next installment of Toho’s iconic franchise.

Hideaki Anno, creator of widely popular anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, has signed on as chief director and writer of Toho’s latest entry in their Godzilla franchise. Announced as a result of the success of Gareth Edwards’ American remake, the film is slated to shoot this Summer and Fall in anticipation of its 2016 release. Also signing on as special effects director is Shinji Higuchi, known for his work on the Heisei Gamera trilogy and this year’s much anticipated Attack on Titan films.

Aside from his work with anime studio Gainax, Anno is a known fan and supporter of the tokusatsu genre, having curated the Tokusatsu- Special Effects Museum-Craftsmanship of Showa and Heisei Eras Seen Through Miniatures exhibit at Tokyo’s Museum of Contemporary Art. Anno and Higuchi are longtime collaborators. Higuchi was a storyboard artist for Evangelion and the two previously worked together on a tokusatsu short titled Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo.