Aug. 4 (UPI) —

Godzilla Minus Zero will have its world premiere at the 2026 New York Film Festival in September.

The movie, a sequel to the hit 2023 Japanese film Godzilla Minus One, will screen as the Spotlight Gala selection at the 64th annual festival Sept. 26.

Director Takashi Yamazaki and members of the cast and crew will attend the event at Alice Tully Hall.

Godzilla Minus Zero opens in 1949, two years after the events of Godzilla Minus One, which followed Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a former kamikaze pilot tasked with destroying the monster Godzilla in the wake of World War II.

The sequel again follows the Shikishima family “as they face an all-new calamity,” according to an official description.

“It is truly an honor to introduce our film to a global audience for the first time in a place of such history and prestige,” Yamazaki said in a statement. “I am filled with both awe and excitement to see how far the power of Japan’s Godzilla can terrify audiences around the world, and whether they will resonate with what lies beyond that fear.”

The Godzilla franchise was created by Toho in the 1950s and consists today of numerous films, TV series, books and video games.

Paper Tiger, directed by James Gray and starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, was previously announced as the NYFF Opening Night film, with 14th, directed by Ava DuVernay to close out the festival. Behemoth!, directed by Tony Gilroy and starring Pedro Pascal, will screen as the Centerpiece selection.