Just when we thought we’d seen the last of the giant, robot Jaegers and monstrous Kaiju battling it out on the big screen, it appears that the apocalypse is in need of canceling once again.
Earlier this month, Pacific Rim director Guillermo Del Toro hinted that a sequel to his 2013 robots-vs-monsters spectacle was in the works, with the filmmaker saying that he was working on a script with The Avengers and X2: X-Men United screenwriter Zak Penn. At the time, he insisted that nothing was official yet, but in just a few short weeks that seems to have changed — and in a big way, too.
In a video message to fans (which you can watch below), Del Toro and Legendary Pictures confirm that not only will Pacific Rim get a sequel, but they are also working on an animated series and a continuation of the well-received Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero series of graphic novels.
“We are all very happy to be bringing you more Kaiju [and] more Jaegers, kicking each others’ butts,” said Del Toro in the video, which was recorded from the Toronto set of Crimson Peak, his upcoming film starring Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, and Jessica Chastain.
Del Toro notes in the video that he’s writing the Pacific Rim sequel with Zak Penn — as previously stated — as well as the original film’s writer, Travis Beacham. Legendary Pictures subsequently announced that the sequel is scheduled to hit theaters (in 3D and IMAX 3D, of course) on April 7, 2017.
