Soon after wrapping things up with his upcoming Star Wars spin-off, director Gareth Edwards is set to return to underwater creature territory with the 2018 sequel release, Godzilla 2, following his worldwide box office success with the first film back in May. However, not to be outdone by the West, the mighty creature’s original roots at Toho Company, Ltd. appear to be gearing up for a return to the franchise of their own. According to interpreted news from Japanese media via blogger August Ragone at The Good, The Bad And Godzilla, the company that started it all sixty years ago is going to produce a new feature film with plans to release it in 2016. Toho VP and general manager Satoshi Senda hosted a press conference on Monday announcing the new movie to be the brainchild of a new focus group titled the Godzilla Conference (or Godzicon) which will oversee the process behind developing the film, organizing and promoting the movie in the coming years. It’s being billed as the first “Domestic Godzilla” since Kitamura Ryuhei’s 2004 installment, Godzilla: Final Wars, and details are currently being ironed out for a production slate set to start next year in the summer with fellow Toho board members, 13 Assassins producer Ichikawa Minami serving as production manager and Trick: The Movie ~ Last Stage producer Ueda Taiji leading as project manager. Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’s release of Godzilla received a luke-warm welcome, domestically, but gained global traction earning well over five-hundred million dollars, ultimately warranting a sequel for Edwards who went public back in July over at San Diego Comic-Con, revealing just a little bit on how much more monster muscle the titular King Of All Monsters will be facing in the next four years. With Toho now front and center, the announcement is a clear sign from the company that they are ready to show they have what it takes to outmatch Hollywood. But don’t take my word for it! “With the success of the Hollywood version of GODZILLA, we decided on a new [domestic] production,” said Ueda. “The screenplay is currently in development and we plan to start shooting next summer. We cannot announce cast or staff selections at this time. And we’re still deliberating whether to bring Godzilla to life via CGI or man-in-suit,…” Ueda then added, “The passionate voices of the fans clamored for a resurrection (of the Japanese Godzilla). We will bring the monster back to Japan, with the same high-quality, by bringing together our collective know-how, which we’ve been striving for, so we can’t lose to Hollywood,”. Them is fightin’ words! The announcement today also included the unveiling of a new, roughly 40-foot tall fiberglass Godzilla Head, as well as the grand opening of a Hotel Gracery Shinjuku next to the Shinjuku Toho Building, all taking place in April as filming nears. Looks like Toho is ready to reclaim their throne and rule once more as the King of all Godzilla movies, although time will tell who will succeed in this epic rivalry between Japan and Hollywood from here on out. Stick around and place your bets!