Is that a Tom Morello guitar riff we hear off in the distance? It very well might be, because the Pacific Rim franchise is returning in a big way with a brand-new prequel series. As reported by Variety, the announcement comes along with the news that Arrival scribe Eric Heisserer has signed a first-look television deal with Legendary Entertainment, with the Pacific Rim prequel being the first project under this new deal.
The first-look deal will see Eric Heisserer and his partner Carmen Lewis‘ production company, Chronology, develop new IP-based properties for Legendary’s many IPs. This means the upcoming Pacific Rim prequel series is only the first of potentially many new projects based on Legendary properti0pes, which also includes the numerous entries in the highly successful Monsterverse saga (which many Pacific Rim fans have been begging for a crossover with). No other plot details for the Pacific Rim prequel show have been shared at this time, but given how the first film takes place well into the conflict between the humans and Kaiju, there’s plenty of room for new origin stories.
Legendary Television president Jason Clodfelter expressed their excitement regarding the new partnership with the following statement:
“Eric is a multitalented, prolific creator whose track record of critical and commercial successes speaks for itself. We are thrilled to launch our partnership with Eric, Chronology, and Carmen, with a new entry in the epic, globally popular Pacific Rim universe. We are certain their vision will make for an enthralling expansion to Legendary’s beloved franchise.”
What is the ‘Pacific Rim’ Story So Far?
The epic fan-favorite saga of Pacific Rim began with the original 2013 film, directed by veteran monster movie-maker Guillermo del Toro. Set in the not-so-distant future, the film sees Earth become under siege by massive monsters from another dimension. To combat these Kaiju invaders, humanity constructs massive robots to fight the monsters head-on. The first film follows the brash and arrogant Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunham) get recruited by the apocalypse-cancelling military leader Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba), as they try to find a way to stop the kaiju threat once and for all.
The first Pacific Rim was a critical and financial success, even becoming Guillermo del Toro‘s highest grossing film ever. However, the same cannot be said for the film’s sequel, Pacific Rim: Uprising, which was not as well-received as it’s predecessor. Following the son of Stacker Pentecost, Jake (John Boyega), the sequel sees the Kaiju threat return to Earth, as well as some new enemies that nobody was expecting to face. The franchise has since been in stasis since Pacific Rim: Uprising, but it’s nice to see that a potential franchise apocalypse has been cancelled with the ambitious new prequel series.
Pacific Rim and Pacific Rim: Uprising are currently available to rent or buy on VOD.
via Collider