A new chapter in the Pacific Rim saga is coming to television screens, with Amazon officially picking up the previously announced live-action series for development. The show, which will serve as a prequel to the popular film franchise, has found its home at Prime Video through a partnership between Legendary Television and Amazon MGM Studios.
Idris Elba Returns as Stacker Pentecost
In exciting news for fans of the original film, Idris Elba is set to reprise his role as Marshal Stacker Pentecost. Elba, who starred in the 2013 movie directed by Guillermo del Toro, will lead this prequel series that explores events before the first film.
Eric Heisserer, known for his Academy Award-nominated work on “Arrival” and as showrunner of Netflix’s “Shadow and Bone,” will write and executive produce the series through his Chronology banner. This project marks the first under Chronology’s first-look deal with Legendary.
While specific plot details remain under wraps, the series will explore the Pacific Rim universe before the events of the films. According to sources, this TV expansion doesn’t rule out the possibility of new films in the franchise.
The Pacific Rim Universe
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Pacific Rim is set in a world where an interdimensional rift at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean allows massive monsters (called kaiju) to invade Earth. Humanity’s response is to build enormous fighting robots called Jaegers to combat this threat.
The franchise began with del Toro’s 2013 film, which earned over $400 million globally. It later expanded with:
- “Pacific Rim Uprising” (2018 sequel film)
- “Pacific Rim: The Black” (animated series on Netflix, 2021-2022)
- Various comic books, novels, toys, and other media
Expanding Legendary and Amazon Partnership
This Pacific Rim series joins other recent collaborations between Legendary and Amazon, including a series based on G.T. Karber’s “Murdle” murder mystery puzzles. Legendary is also currently producing the Monsterverse series “Monarch” for Apple TV+, “Dune: Prophecy” for Max, and “The Legend of Lara Croft” animated series for Netflix.
The premiere date for the Pacific Rim prequel series has not yet been announced.
