Warner Bros is juggling quite a few franchises right now, including the MonsterVerse, which stars beasts like Godzilla and King Kong, and the Pacific Rim universe, where humanity uses the towering Jaegers to fight back against the invading Kaiju. With two blockbuster properties (both from Legendary Pictures) centered around giant monsters, no doubt some of you have thought that the pieces are lined up for Warner Bros to do a potentially cool crossover. Well sure enough, Pacific Rim Uprising director Steven DeKnight revealed that there have been talks about bringing the MonsterVerse and Pacific Rim franchises together. DeKnight said:
I won't say there's an Easter Egg but there's been a lot of discussion about that possibility [of crossing over]. Look I think it would be fantastic to have the Pacific Rim universe join Legendary's Monster Universe, it seems like a natural step. And part of the big overall plan after the third movie we've talked about is that could happen, it's always a possibility. It's by far not a certainty; it's merely theoretical at this point, but as a fan myself I would love to see that happen.
Judging by Steven DeKnight's comment to Collider, there don't appear to be any concrete plans for a MonterVerse/Pacific Rim crossover anytime soon, but at least the option is still on the table. Given the different histories between these two franchises, no doubt some parallel universe shenanigans would be required to bridge these worlds together, but that's a small price to pay to see a Jaeger brawling with Kong in New York City, or a similar scenario. And hey, if a movie crossover doesn't work out, this could be prime material for a comic book, a medium where it's significantly easier to bring fan-favorite properties together.
For right now, both of these monster-centric franchises have bright futures ahead of them on their own. The first Pacific Rim movie was released in 2013, and while it took a while for Pacific Rim Uprising to get off the ground, the sequel, which has Steve DeKnight taking over directing duties from Guillermo del Toro, will continue the saga. As for the MonsterVerse, that began in 214 with the Godzilla reboot, and this year's Kong: Skull Island turned the clock back to the early 1970s to introduce its version of the huge gorilla. Godzilla: King of the Monsters will bring back the energy-breathing reptile, and in 2020, Godzilla will clash with Kong in the appropriately-named Godzilla vs. Kong. It sounds like once that movie, as well as the discussed (but not yet greenlit) Pacific Rim 3 is out of the way, then the discussions regarding such a crossover might gain more traction.
The MonsterVerse will continue on March 22, 2019 with the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Pacific Rim Uprising arrives much sooner, dropping in theaters on March 23, 2018. Look through our 2017 premiere guide and 2018 premiere guide for more information concerning theatrical releases over the next year.
