On the heels of Warner Bros.' success with the Godzilla reboot, the Japanese studio Toho, which originally brought this iconic monster to life in 1954, has announced their own Godzilla project, slated for release in 2016. The studio has brought on Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi to direct. Toho has also released a teaser photo featuring one of Godzilla's massive claws.

Toho has released 28 Godzilla movies since the 1954 original classic, directed by Ishirô Honda. The studio last released Godzilla: Final Wars back in 2004, and licensed the rights to Godzilla to Warner Bros. for director Gareth Edwards' remake, which earned $525 million worldwide, $26 million of which came from Japanese markets. Given the renewed interest in the franchise, Toho has decided to produce another Godzilla project. Here's what a studio spokesperson had to say in a statement.

"Ever since Hollywood announced that Godzilla was to be resurrected, the expectation for another Japanese Godzilla grew. And if we were to newly produce, we looked into Japanese creators who were the most knowledgeable and who had the most passion for Godzilla."

Hideaki Anno will also write the screenplay, while Shinji Higuchi will oversee the visual effects work. The filmmakers are best known for their work on Neon Genesis Evangelion and their upcoming live-action movie Attack on Titan. Toho will co-distribute the film with Warner Bros. Japan. Warner Bros. is currently prepping director Gareth Edwards' Godzilla 2 sequel, which will be released in June 2018. Check out the first teaser from Toho's own reboot, in Japanese theaters 2016 (no U.S. yet announced).

Godzilla Toho Photo