The artists behind Attack on Titan and Evangelion will direct Japan’s new Godzilla movie

Japan’s first Godzilla movie in a decade is barreling toward its 2016 release date, and Toho has just tapped its directors. According to The Hollywood Reporter, legendary Neon Genesis Evangelion director Hideaki Anno and Attack on Titan director Shinji Higuchi will co-direct the kaiju epic for the film company.

“We looked into Japanese creators who were the most knowledgeable and who had the most passion for Godzilla,” writes Toho in a statement. “Naturally, we quickly came to a consensus that Anno and Higuchi were the perfect fit for the Japanese Godzilla’s return [after] 12 years.”

The move makes sense, since both directors have a passion for tokusatsu entertainment, or special effects-heavy live-action TV and cinema. (After all, both Evangelion and Attack on Titan deal with giant monsters.) In addition to his directorial duties, Anno will be in charge of writing the script. Higuchi will manage the VFX.