This 68-Year-Old Monster Movie Is Due For A Remake (& Godzilla Minus One Proves It)

The success of Godzilla Minus One is a sign that a Rodan remake needs to be a high priority for Toho. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One has emerged as a massive success for the Japanese movie studio that created the character. The records it broke at both the global and domestic box office, combined with its across-the-board critical acclaim, has boosted cries for more Godzilla movies.

While the possibility of a Godzilla Minus One sequel has been addressed on multiple occasions by those involved with the project, Toho has yet to confirm any plans for a second installment. Unfortunately, the amount of time that passed between Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One doesn’t provide much hope for an immediate follow-up. But while reception to Godzilla Minus One and its box office performance would justify a continuation of this Godzilla’s story, a sequel to the movie isn’t the only project it might inspire. What Toho accomplished with Godzilla Minus One should also lead to the studio revisiting a different character from their library.

Godzilla Minus One Proves How Well A Rodan Remake Would Work

In addition to any plans it may have in developing another Godzilla film, a remake of Rodan should be among the projects on the table for Toho. Eight years before he was introduced into the Godzilla franchise in 1964’s Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Rodan was the focus of his own film. Released in 1956, Rodan was a movie that dealt with Japan’s efforts to combat the rise of two gigantic, pteranadon-like monsters. As a film that centered on the conflict between monsters and humans, Rodan followed the same formula as the original Godzilla, which is what Godzilla Minus One excelled at emulating.

But while Rodan leaned on what made 1954’s Godzilla so successful, it’s important to note that it wasn’t just a rehash of the same story with a different monster. A big part of what distinguished Rodan from Godzilla was its ending. While the sacrifice of Dr. Serizawa in Godzilla amounted to a meaningful and memorable conclusion, Rodan offered something more, in that it allowed audiences to connect with the monsters – not just the human characters. After one of the two Rodans dies horrifically after landing in the lava of a volcano, the second Rodan embraces the same fate out of sadness for its mate’s death.

Rodan succeeded in making the deaths of its two titular monsters heartbreaking, even in spite of the harm their actions had caused. Conveying the sense of love shared by the two mates went a long way toward making viewers sympathetic toward the creatures and ensuring a poignant ending to the film. The emotional element of Rodan is easily its strongest point, which is a rare quality for a monster movie. But it’s also something that’s true of Godzilla Minus One. It’s ability to deliver an emotionally gripping storyline proves Godzilla Minus One’s creative team would be well-equipped to handle a Rodan adaptation and the tragedy it entails.

A Rodan Remake Would Avoid The Challenges Of A Godzilla Minus One Sequel

While Toho has brought back Rodan several times since, it’s never attempted another telling of the kaiju’s solo story. After Godzilla Minus One, there’s good reason for Toho to consider the prospect, even if Rodan lacks the same level of global recognition as the King of the Monsters. While the idea of a Godzilla Minus One sequel is appealing, it would face challenges a Rodan remake would avoid. Never in his 70 years of cinematic history has the same version of Godzilla fought only the humans in back-to-back movies. To take that route would risk repetition, hence why Godzilla Minus One’s director has indicated that Godzilla would face another monster in a possible sequel.

Heading in that direction would make sense, but it’s also one that would bring about other problems. The human story of Godzilla Minus One is the backbone of its success, so while monster fights are integral to the franchise, including them could prevent the sequel from replicating what made the 2023 movie so special. Figuring out how to introduce a monster villain for Godzilla without sidelining the human narrative would be a difficult undertaking. Rodan, on the other hand, wouldn’t need a monster opponent to make his story feel fresh, especially since there hasn’t been a Rodan movie in 68 years.

With Rodan, Toho could sidestep the issues of a Godzilla Minus One sequel and build off the 2023 movie’s success at the same time. Using the blueprint for Godzilla Minus One and combining it with the tragic nature of Rodan’s ending would give Toho the tools it needs to deliver another thrilling monster movie complete with exciting action sequences and a truly moving story that doesn’t need a monster fight. A modern interpretation of Rodan’s story brought to life with the visual effects that gave the Godzilla franchise its first-ever Academy Award certainly sounds like a winning combination.