Shin Godzilla 2?

A widespread misconception published in numerous Western media outlets claims that Toho had planned to produce a sequel to its critically and financially successful 2016 reboot to the Godzilla series, Shin Godzilla, only to cancel it in favor of a new "World of Godzilla" cinematic universe. In actuality, Toho never confirmed that it had begun any sort of development of a Shin Godzilla sequel, and no official announcements about a sequel to the film were ever made. As early as September 2016, cast members and director Hideaki Anno were asked about a possible sequel. Star Hiroki Hasegawa was enthusiastic about starring in a sequel, while Anno was more ambivalent about the prospect and stated that it was unlikely Toho would allow him to return to direct a sequel. When the film's co-director Shinji Higuchi was asked about a sequel during his panel at G-Fest XXIV in 2017, he replied that Toho would be unable to produce another live-action Godzilla film, and by extension a Shin Godzilla sequel, until after Legendary Pictures' Godzilla vs. Kong was released in 2020. The inaccurate claim that "Shin Godzilla 2" was cancelled comes from comments made by Toho's Chief Godzilla Officer Keiji Ota in a 2018 interview with Nikkei Style which were taken out of context. Ota clarified that the company did not plan to produce a sequel to Shin Godzilla, but was considering creating a new fictional world that could sustain an entire series of Godzilla movies and spinoffs, which Ota called a "World of Godzilla." Contrary to what many Western media outlets would go on to claim, Ota never stated that Toho cancelled its plans for a Shin Godzilla sequel, nor did he ever indicate that such a film was ever planned. All of these comments made by people involved with the franchise provide no indication that a Shin Godzilla sequel was ever in serious consideration.

Hand-in-hand with this misconception is a popular claim that the supposed cancelled Shin Godzilla sequel would have featured Godzilla battling against his arch-nemesis, King Ghidorah. This claim is often supported in online articles and videos with an piece of artwork depicting Shin Godzilla facing off with King Ghidorah, which is typically claimed to be concept art from the unmade sequel. The artwork in question is promotional artwork celebrating the first anniversary of the Godzilla Store Tokyo by artist Kouji Tajima, and not connected in any way with an unmade Shin Godzilla sequel. Tajima was previously commissioned for another piece of artwork for the Godzilla Store Tokyo depicting Shin Godzilla surrounded by a redesigned King Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan, and Biollante.

In summary, not only is the artwork popularly alleged to be concept art of Godzilla fighting King Ghidorah for a Shin Godzilla 2 actually completely unrelated promotional artwork for the Godzilla Store Tokyo, but Toho never publicly announced development of a Shin Godzilla sequel to begin with. As such, there is no evidence that Toho had planned a Shin Godzilla sequel only to cancel it, but rather the company had indicated that it never had any plans for such a film in the first place.

However, a new redesigned incarnation of King Ghidorah does appear as part of Universal Studios Japan's Godzilla vs. Evangelion: The Real 4-D attraction, in which he battles against Shin Godzilla.