Ridley Scott joins forces with the director behind the greatest Godzilla movie ever for a new epic

Takashi Yamazaki spent decades quietly building a reputation in Japan, mostly as a dab hand at special effects, but his life changed overnight with 2023’s Godzilla Minus One. That film took the very old, very angry lizard and dropped him right into the ruins of post-war Japan, somehow managing to be massive, bleak, and weirdly moving — all on a budget that Hollywood would call couch change.

To put it in numbers: $10 million to make, $116 million (and counting) in box office takings, and Yamazaki walked away with the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, making pretty much every mega-franchise reboot look a bit silly by comparison. The general consensus now is that this might — just might — be the best Godzilla film ever made, not bad for a series that’s been stomping around for 70-odd years.

Now, obviously, once you’ve pulled off a coup like that, the big studios are going to start sniffing around. A sequel, Godzilla Minus Zero, is already locked in for November. But the more interesting news? Yamazaki’s next original project, which is already making Hollywood types a bit jittery — mainly because he’s teaming up with Ridley Scott.

Nue: The Mysterious Original Sci-Fi Project

Yamazaki’s new film is called Nue. And that’s basically all anyone knows about it. No storyline, no casting, nothing else — just a title and the fact that Ridley Scott is on board as producer (yes, that Ridley Scott of Gladiator and Alien fame).

Here’s what we do know:

• Ridley Scott will produce via his Scott Free banner, with 20th Century Studios handling the release.
• Amie Horiuchi and Michael Pruss (Scott Free), plus Keiichiro Moriya and Go Abe (Robot Communications), and Georgina Pope (Toho-Tombo) are all listed as producers.
• The film is definitely sci-fi — should be familiar territory for Yamazaki, who’s spent years juggling robots, monsters, and general mayhem.

A Bit More Than Just Hype

Instead of being cryptic for the sake of it, Yamazaki has actually explained why Nue matters to him, saying:

'Nue has been a lifelong dream of mine. I am honoured to have the opportunity to make it happen with the creative brilliance of Ridley Scott and Scott Free and the fantastic team at 20th Century Studios. I will do my utmost to ensure this becomes a fantastic movie for all to see.'

According to him, this is an idea he’s been carrying around for years — since at least the 1980s, when he was still fiddling around behind the scenes rather than directing (his proper debut as number one was with Juvenile in 2000, for anyone keeping score).

Why Ridley Scott?

There’s a certain full-circle feel to Ridley Scott getting involved, considering the man’s first big splash was with the original Alien for 20th Century Studios all the way back in 1979. Scott, for his part, seems genuinely excited to back Yamazaki. He put it like this:

'We’re delighted to be working with Takashi Yamazaki and his team on this magnificent original sci-fi film for our partners at 20th Century Studios. We’ve long admired Takashi’s visionary and skillful story-telling, exemplified by his superb production of Godzilla Minus One. We’re looking forward to helping him bring this major project to life to audiences around the world.'

What to Expect from Yamazaki (and a Quick Note on Budgets)

Given what Yamazaki pulled off with next to no budget for Godzilla Minus One, don’t be too surprised if Nue manages to look twice as big as whatever Marvel or DC are shelling out for at the moment, but for half the money. No giant lizard this time (probably), but if it’s anything like Yamazaki’s recent output, expect spectacle on a fraction of a Hollywood budget. Not a bad pairing with one of the most iconic sci-fi directors around, either.