‘Godzilla Minus One’ Filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki Signs With CAA

Takashi Yamazaki, the Japanese filmmaker behind Oscar-winning smash hit “Godzilla Minus One,” has signed with CAA for representation.

“Godzilla Minus One,” on which Yamazaki served as writer, director and VFX supervisor, earned the first-ever nomination and win for a Japanese production in the VFX category at the Academy Awards earlier this month. The film beat strong contenders such as “The Creator,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” and “Napoleon.” The Oscar win also marked the second time in 55 years that a director won the VFX award.

“Godzilla Minus One” also became the third-highest grossing foreign language feature in the U.S. box office history.

Budgeted at $15 million, the film follows former Kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Kamiki Ryunosuke), who grapples with survivor’s guilt following World War II and the trauma of having been attacked by Godzilla. While he manages to build a life for his newfound family, he still suffers nightmares and at times can’t separate his terrors from reality. Meanwhile, a local nuclear test plant sets off a reaction that reawakens Godzilla, who wreaks havoc on the city.

Yamazaki is a member of Shirogumi, a prestigious visual effects company renowned for its group of creative engineers. His previous credits include  “Space Battleship Yamato,” which was also a B.O. hit, and the animated feature “Lupin III” which competed at Annecy Film Festival. Along with CAA, he continues to be represented by Greenberg Traurig.

The signing of Yamazaki underscores CAA’s ambition to broaden its international client roster. The talent agency’s new clients include French writer-director Justine Triet whose film “Anatomy of a Fall” won best original screenplay at the Oscars.