Earlier this month, word broke that Zak Penn was joining forces with Guillermo del Toro to work on developing the script for Pacific Rim 2 and bring more Jaeger vs. Kaiju action to our screens. Often such reports don’t end up going anywhere other than limbo, but Legendary has just announced the new Rim film will arrive on April 7, 2017.
Speaking in a video statement, del Toro says that fans will be kept entertained by the continuing comic book series and an animated show that will follow the adventures of the monster-punching team. The enthusiastic director also mentions that original writer Travis Beacham will also be involved, presumably squeezing in time to help out between developing his various TV projects.
“The characters I love will return,” del Toro tells BuzzFeed in a new statement. “Raleigh, Mako, Newt, Gottlieb and who knows, maybe even Hannibal Chau – but we are taking them into a fresh territory that will display amazing sights and battles. The first film set the stage and now we’re ready to have a blast.”
No deals have been set with the cast yet, but given that the release date is still three years away, there is at least time to figure everything out. And it’s not like Guillermo won’t be busy – he’s editing horror movie** Crimson Peak**, which is scheduled to land here on October 15 next year.