Clarification on Who is the "Lead" Director of Godzilla '16

It sounds like a situation of "Director (In-name-only)." Honestly, sounds like an equivalent to having a director and a writer(s), yet the producer(s) have the ultimate say on the finalized product. 

GMAN2887 - Oh, thank you! I was having a great deal of difficulty dscerning which of these gentlemen was in fact the lead with regards to the film's direction. I agree with WOLFGUY; it does seem as if the producer/producers will have the ultimate authority over them. Regardless, this information is extremely valuable! Thank you! :)

I think calling it "director in name only" isn't really understanding the position or situation.

August said, "This is also a system frequently used in the Japanese animation industry, of which both men have worked, extensively (and together)." Anno initially turned down the idea of directing Godzilla due to his current state of being. It's likely he also didn't feel comfortable going with the normal studio system outside of animation productions. (Which he usually directs.)

"Anno turned down the offer to be the director a couple of years ago, so this situation was set up for him." Why would Toho go after Anno again, after he turned them down, and even tailor the production closer to how he's used to doing projects if this were going to be a producer heavy film?

No doubt Toho will enlist executives to keep it Godzilla-esque, not unlike the 2014 film, but that's understandable. I think if this were a producer's vision we would see a repeat of the Heisei/Millennium series where Toho promotes assistant directors from within the studio to hammer out the next Godzilla flick. The fact Toho has gone outside their doors and re-written their system just to make a director feel more comfortable says otherwise.

GMAN2887 - That actually makes a great deal of sense!  I was not aware of the pains Toho have taken to ensure their director is comfortable - how very interesting! Thank you for clarifying the issue! :)

GMAN2887 - As an aside, do you know the specifics of Anno's initial trepidation? :)

Something Real,
Anno has slipped in and out of depression for most of his career. After he finished the third Rebuild of Evangelion movie two years back he slipped back into depression and couldn't find the will to go to work. Toho approached him back then about Godzilla and he turned them down.

In the months following Toho contacted Higuchi. The details are murky, but what's confirmed is that Higuchi's involvement made Anno want to come on board. It seemed like it was a luring tactic on Toho's part.

Since Anno is used to co-directing on animation projects, (the last three Evangelion movies positioned him with another director in the same way he is with Higuchi for Godzilla '16) it seems like re-arranging the system in his favor, with one of his best friends no less, made the project more appealing.

GMAN2887 - That is incredibly interesing. I wonder, what it is that has brought him such psychological dysfunction? As I have observed, artistic skill and creativity often carry a fair possibility for mental turmoil. I suppose the ability to create and provide wonderful things carries a price at times. :)

I don't know the specifics and there are plenty of rumors with little proof, but what is known is he suffers from clinical depression. He famously battled it during the mid-90s when he was working on Evangelion, apparently pouring all of his anxiety into the content of the series.

They're both directing the movie at the same time. I don't see what is so hard to understand about that.

KingKaijuGojira,
Yes, but even in America when co-directors are attached there's one director who has more authority than the other.

In this case Anno is the head director which Japanese productions call the "Supervising Director". According to August it's, "his baby."

Assuming that filming is going to start in the Fall, I wonder what is happening right now in terms of the production timeline. I mean by this, what would Anno and Higuchi be doing right now?

Any thoughts, or insights?

All opinions are welcome.

Also, should we assume that the suits are ready?

@Jamaal,

Long time no see! Ok, first off, we really don't know anything else at this point! . Apparently, Toho is rumored to be "trying to compete with Hollywood ." 

 As for thoughts, I think they're still under construction with the suits. I've been googling the design and ain't found s### yet. As long as the directors push each other with different ideas, we could get a good film next year. 

This is the part of the train ride that is kaiju filmmaking, where we're all 'in the tunnel,' so to speak. Just waiting to get back 'out in the open' where there will be news, both officially released and leaked (some of it purposefully, perhaps). The anticipation is fun, in a way. It's good, i think, to let one's imagination wander regarding how Godzilla will look; will there be another kaiju; what will he film 'look' and feel like, etc. Then, when aspects of the film's production are made public, we can compare them with what we thought they would be. To me, all of this, just enhances the film's appeal. It's the art form we love as well, along with the character, the tradition and technique, and hopefully, God willing, the results. Everything I've read and seen up to now has made me cautiously optimistic. I'm really grateful that this film is being made: a Japanese Godzilla!

Oh, and good to see you, too, Huge-Ben. 

Not really in line with the original topic, but Toho should avoid the "A film a year" scheduling. Pull their resources, save the budget up so they can get more of a bang for their buck, actually have a good story ready instead of rushing one in a month or two, or rehashing the same story over and over again with a few name changes. A film every 3-5 years would be ideal. That way interest is still piqued without fans/audiences getting burnt out.

^I agree a movie every so often would be a better way to keep Toho from souring the milk. One movie every winter holiday was not the way to go.

That being said, it really wouldn't change anything in regards to budget and resources. Japanese cinema just don't have the numbers in the industry to keep crew onboard a film for much more than a year. Keeping people onboard a film for that length in Japan seems to inflate budgets larger than most studios think they can make back.

Granted there are exceptions, but they're very rare and very special cases. Toho would need some sort of guarantee out of it.

The thing is that back in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 90's it never stopped them before. I can understand the earlier years due to the fact that people didn't care what they saw on theatre screens. Now a days, people want everything in their point of view and reality doesn't work that way. Separating the films is best though. Look at Biollante. 5 years after 84 and it was and still is a great film. Didn't succeed at the box office like they hoped. But, the thing is, during the showa era some of the best films were made year after year. Mothra vs. Godzilla 1964, Ghidorah 1964, monster zero 1965 just to name a few.

I would hope that Toho, with this film, is entering a new phase in the Godzilla Series. This means that things will done diffrently, including the time alloted to producing their films as well as the time between their releases. I feel that this is best for the Series and morely like to result in it's continued success, God willing.

We don't need a film every year; want we need is quality filmmaking, that is visionary, bold and adventurous.

We don't need a film every year; want we need is quality filmmaking, that is visionary, bold and adventurous.

I think that's why they went outside the studio for a change with this one. The last time they did that was for GMK-- Which was outstanding, but still under the Tomiyama era of timetables and restrictions.

Tomiyama and all of his writers/ADs are gone now. And with the Toho's Goji-Council in place it seems like the days of treating Godzilla like every other production at Toho is long gone.

"And with the Toho's Goji-Council in place it seems like the days of treating Godzilla like every other production at Toho is long gone."

I hope this is true. This is the key, I believe. That Toho has a council dedicated to its most famous and important franchise is itself hope-inducing. Perhaps, the Legendary film and all that went into it as well as the hype around it, helped to make key people realize, or, rather, rediscover the uniquenss of the Japanese Godzilla, its relationship to the country, its culture and history, and the whole genre of tokusatsu films.