中島春雄
was a Japanese film director, best known for the cult-classic "Godzilla vs. Hedorah", which he directed and co-wrote. Banno was a special guest at G-Fest XII in 2005. He was an executive producer on Legendary Pictures's American "Godzilla" films, "Godzilla" (2014), "" (2019), and "Godzilla vs. Kong" (2021). He died of subarachnoid hemorrhage in 2017. King of the Monsters was dedicated to his memory along with Haruo Nakajima.