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The popular Kaiju action franchisePacific Rimis coming back to the small screen in a brand-new live-action prequel series from Legendary Pictures. Debuting with the eponymous 2013 film, the franchise is set in a future where the governments of the world must dispatch attack robots in order to fight giant monsters that arrive through a portal at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. With its mix of state-of-the-art CGI animation and classic Kaiju action,Pacific Rimwas a fresh but familiar action hit that spawned a feature sequel and an anime on Netflix.
Though the franchise has been dormant for a few years, it’s clear thatPacific Rimhas the potential to become the next extended universe that rivals the MCU orStar Wars. The sequel film,Pacific Rim Uprisingwas a critical and commercial flop, but Legendary Pictures isn’t ready to discard such a valuable property. Perhaps hoping to replicate the success of their MonsterVerse franchise, Legendary has inked a new deal with Eric Heisserer which will bring the series back to the small screen and potentially open the door for its return to the big screen in the near future as well.
The Biggest Difference Between Del Toro’s Pacific Rim & Uprising Explains Why The Sequel Was Not As Good
Pacific Rim: Uprising was famously a downgrade from the original film, and one del Toro trick explains why the action was so much worse.
The Pacific Rim TV Show Is Confirmed
Legendary Announced Development In 2024
Two years afterPacific Rim: The Blackdebuted its final episode on Netflix in 2022, Legendary Pictures has announceda live-actionPacific Rimprequel series. Though the project is still in the very early stages of development,it comes as the result of a first-look deal the company signed with Eric Heisserer who will deliver several future projects at Legendary. Heisserer is an accomplished screenwriter and producer with franchise films like 2010’sA Nightmare on Elm Streetunder his belt as well as original works like 2016’s award-winning sci-fi film,Arrival.
Pacific Rim: The Blackseason 2 debuted on July 13, 2025.
As it stands now, little is known about the project, and it’s unclear how far into the process thePacific Rimshow has progressed. Legendary Television president Jason Clodfelter spoke highly of Heisserer, praising his impressive filmography and expressing his optimism for the franchise’s future.
Read Clodfelter’s comments below:
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.
Can Pacific Rim 3 Still Happen?
A Threequel Is Still In High Demand
Since the upcoming series will be a prequel story, it doesn’t run the risk of making a third film irrelevent, and can inspire more curiosity if it introduces new story ideas.
Ever sincethe twist ending ofPacific Rim Uprising, demand has been high forPacific Rim 3. Unfortunately, the economic realities ofUprising’s failure made a threequel unfeasible for the better part of five years. However,the recently announcedPacific Rimprequel series doesn’t eliminate the chance of a third film, and it actually could go a long way to help get the third film off the ground. Since the upcoming series will be a prequel story, it doesn’t run the risk of making a third film irrelevent, and can inspire more curiosity if it introduces new story ideas.
Movies likePacific Rimare huge investments and the risk of commercial failure is high at the volatile box offices of the 2020s. On the other hand, a TV show is still costly, but is less of a risk, because streaming content can grow in popularity over time instead of relying on a singular theatrical run.
2013
72%
2018
42%
2021-2022
71%
Though the details remain unknown,thePacific RimTV series is supposed to be a prequelto the movie franchise. This opens the door to all kinds of possibilities, and it isn’t clear when the prequel will take place in the extensive timeline.It could go back to the very beginning with the Precursors building the portal at the bottom of the Pacific, or it could go back to when Newt and Jaeger first tried their failed drone plan that was explained inPacific Rim: Uprising. Regardless of the specifics, thePacific Rimprequel series has a universe of possibilities to explore.
Pacific Rim
Cast
In a post-apocalyptic future, Earth battles a deadly race of alien monsters called the Kaiju, who have begun arriving on the planet through an interdimensional portal in the Pacific Ocean. In an attempt to combat the Kaiju, humanity has created Jaegers, giant robot suits powered by at least two pilots that can match their enemy for size and strength. When the Kaiju begin to become too strong, however, a washed-up Jaeger pilot must return to the program to participate in one final mission to save Earth for good.
