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The Pacific Rim franchise is getting a continuation, this time on the small screen. More than six years after 2018’s Pacific Rim: Uprising, it’s been revealed that Legendary is currently developing a TV series that will serve as a prequel to the kaiju vs giant robots blockbusters. This, according to a recent report from Variety, with the outlet noting that Eric Heisserer (Arrival, Lights Out) and Carmen Lewis (Shadow and Bone) are set to develop the series.
For those who might need a refresher, the first film sees monsters rising up from the depths of an area known as The Breach in the Pacific Ocean. Humans craft giant well-armed robots known as Jaegers to battle the beasts. As of right now, plot details remain under wraps. All we know is that it will take place before director Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, which was originally released in 2013. That film sort of dropped us in the middle of the action as humans had been at war with giant monsters for years already. So there is plenty to tell further back in the timeline.
One of the big questions right now is whether or not del Toro will be involved in any way. He wasn’t all that involved in Uprising, which was directed by Steven S. DeKnight. Del Toro went off to make The Shape of Water instead, which proved to be a good decision as it won Best Picture. As for Heisserer, this comes as his production company Chronology has signed a deal to “develop and shepherd IP-driven and related projects for Legendary.” This series is the first project on the docket. Jason Clodfelter, president of Legendary Television, had this to say about it:
“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.”
Perhaps not coincidentally, Heisserer and Chronology recently signed a first-look movie deal with Sony Pictures as well. As it just so happens, Legendary signed a multi-year deal with Sony back in 2022. So there’s a bit of synergy going on here. Some of Heisserer’s other credits include Final Destination 5, the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake, Netflix’s Bird Box and 2011’s The Thing prequel.
Even though Uprising was not exactly a hit, the franchise has managed to endure. Aside from several graphic novels and video games, a two-season anime series titled Pacific Rim: The Black aired on Netflix between 2021 and 2022. For now, there is no word on where this prequel will end up, but Netflix does seem like a likely candidate. We’ll see where the chips fall.
The Pacific Rim prequel series does not currently have a release date. For more, check out our list of Guillermo del Toro movies that made us fall in love with the filmmaker.
