Reiwa Series
 |
|
|---|---|
| Other Name: | Reiwa Period |
| Started: | 2016 |
| Ended: | 2016 |
| First Film: | Shin Godzilla |
| Final Film: | Shin Godzilla |
| Previous Era: | Millennium Period |
| Next Era: | MonsterVerse Period |
Reiwa Period
The Reiwa era, or Reiwa period, is the current political era of Japan which began in 2019 following the abdication of emperor Akihito and the ascension of Naruhito. Media produced during this era, such as that of the Godzilla series, may be identified as the Reiwa series of their respective franchises. In the case of Godzilla, the only films currently categorized in this era are Shin Godzilla and the GODZILLA anime trilogy, which were included retroactively despite being produced during the Heisei era—the first film to be produced in the true Reiwa era of Japan was actually Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Like the Millennium series before it, the films of the Reiwa era do not share one continuity. The time span of the Reiwa era overlaps with Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse, but they are considered distinct series because they are produced by different studios.
Toho first identified the aforementioned films as the "Reiwa series" at its Godzilla booth during San Diego Comic-Con in 2019. In 2021, a new Godzilla anime series was announced entitled Godzilla Singular Point, the first Godzilla television series to be produced in over 20 years.
Godzilla Films
Shin Godzilla
In 2004, Toho announced that Godzilla: Final Wars, the sixth and final entry in the Millennium series,
would be the last Godzilla film for a period of at least ten years. In 2014, the American studio
Legendary Pictures produced Godzilla, which would kick off the studio's MonsterVerse series of films.
Toho in the meantime had begun pre-production on its next Godzilla film, and hired Hideaki Anno and
Shinji Higuchi to write and direct the film. Following the financial success of Legendary's film, Toho
formally announced production of its new film. Shin Godzilla was released in 2016, and was a considerable
critical and financial success. Whether or not a sequel to Shin Godzilla or another live-action Toho
Godzilla film will be released in the near future remains to be seen. However, the terms of Toho's
contract with Legendary dictate that they cannot produce another live-action Godzilla film until after
Godzilla vs. Kong is released in 2020.[2] Toho's Chief Godzilla Officer, Keiji Ota, has stated that the
company has no plans for a Shin Godzilla 2 but instead plans to launch a cinematic universe featuring
Godzilla and the company's other monsters following the expiration of its contract with Legendary in 2020.
Shin Godzilla (2016)
Trivia