Godzilla Minus Zero’s returning family has grown up since the last attack. Child actor Sae Nagatani, whose part in Minus One largely involved crying and single words, now has full dialogue, and her co-stars say she arrived knowing every line.
According to Variety’s report from the Tokyo International Film Festival, Ryunosuke Kamiki initially wondered whether Nagatani could manage the expanded role. On set, she delivered it flawlessly. Minami Hamabe remembered a toddler easily frightened by the adults around her; this time, their young colleague was chatty and dependable.
Nagatani offered her own glimpse of the family bond. After a scene in which her character Akiko cries, Kamiki kept rubbing her back even after the director called cut.
The sequel is set in 1949, two years after Godzilla Minus One. Kamiki and Hamabe return as Koichi and Noriko Shikishima, who have settled into everyday family life before the monster threatens it again.
Takashi Yamazaki returns as director, writer and visual-effects lead after the first film won the visual-effects Oscar. Minus Zero opens in Japan on November 3, Australia and New Zealand on November 5, and North America on November 6. UK and Irish IMAX previews begin November 3, followed by the wider cinema release on November 6.
