A Pacific Rim prequel series is in the works for TV, it has been reported.
According to a Variety report, Legendary Entertainment has secured a first-look developmental deal with screenwriter and director Eric Heisserer. One of the first projects being developed under Heisserer is reportedly an origin story based on the Pacific Rim franchise.
Little else is known of the Pacific Rim prequel series. The franchise – comprising of two films and two seasons of Netflix‘s anime – sees humans construct and operate giant fighting robots called Jaegers after they’re attacked by several monsters (here called Kaijus) after an inter-dimensional rift opens at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
A cast has not been attached to Heisserer’s Pacific Rim prequel series.
The first film in the franchise came out in 2013 and was led by Guillermo del Toro, and received rave reviews. Its sequel, Pacific Rim: Uprising, arrived in 2018 helmed by Steven S. DeKnight and was far less well-received. Netflix released the spin-off anime series Pacific Rim: The Black in 2021 and 2022.
Eric Heisserer is best known for being a screenwriter on Denis Villeneuve‘s Arrival, alongside other films like Final Destination 5, Lights Out and Bird Box. He also wrote and executive-produced the TV series Shadow and Bone.
In a two-star review of 2018’s Pacific Rim: Uprising, Alex Flood wrote for NME: “If all you’re after is a quick injection of testosterone-fueled violence then step right up. But even then, Pacific Rim: Uprising might disappoint. At 111 minutes it feels bloated and the action scenes are so similar they soon grow boring. The studio is already planning a third episode in the series, but given this entry’s questionable quality that seems premature. Michael Bay’s Transformers behemoth has the genre all sewn up and with a Godzilla reboot scheduled for next year, you get the feeling this franchise might be over before it’s even begun.”