Back in 2013, Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim became the Little Blockbuster That Could. While it had a bit of a slow start at the summer box office, it slowly but surely was able to keep bringing audiences in, and by the time it was done in theaters, it had made over $400 million globally. Now, a little less than five years later, we are now getting a sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising, but if it were up to writer/director Steven DeKnight, this will only be the first follow-up that we see arrive in coming years. He recently told me,
I can't give any details, but yes, I have a very clear idea [for the future]. When we were developing Uprising I was constantly jotting down notes about what I would want to do for the next movie. So I have a very, very rough outline of what that movie would be. And the plan was always to do the third installment, and then at the end of that movie expand the universe to a Star Wars/Star Trek-style [franchise] where it could go in many different directions. Different stories, main canon, side stories, standalones, the whole thing.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with writer/director Steven DeKnight earlier this month for the Los Angeles press day for Pacific Rim Uprising -- and it was literally at the very end of our conversation that we had the opportunity to chat about the future. Recognizing the level of detail in the movie's world-building, and certain events that go down in the third act, I asked for the filmmaker's thoughts on future installments in the franchise, and he revealed that he has some absolutely massive plans for the universe of Pacific Rim, should he get the opportunity to execute them.
Looking at Steven DeKnight's filmography, this all makes a lot of sense. While the filmmaker has actually made his feature directorial debut with Pacific Rim Uprising, he is hardly new to the industry, having worked for decades in the world of television on shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Spartacus, and the first season of Daredevil. On the small screen, narratives can run for years, with all kinds of twists and turns happening to the characters, and that kind of storytelling generally involves long-term planning. And while there are never any guarantees in the world of theatrical releases, that didn't stop him from thinking about what could be done not only with a Pacific Rim 3, but a whole broad universe of different projects.
You can watch Steven DeKnight talking about the potential future of the Pacific Rim franchise and his thoughts on Pacific Rim 3 by clicking play on the video below!
Pacific Rim 3 will probably only happen if Pacific Rim Uprising is ultimately deemed a success -- and we'll find out the fate of that particular project now, with the film arriving in theaters as we speak. So if you're excited by the idea of a wide-ranging franchise with a whole lot of Jaeger vs. Kaiju action, do yourself a favor and catch the new movie on the big screen this weekend.
