Exclusive: Pacific Rim: Uprising director talks franchise expansion & future

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

As you are no doubt aware, the second day of New York City Comic-Con is in full-swing, and that means that lots of news about upcoming films is bound to be making the rounds. Earlier today, a bombastic new trailer (seen below) for PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING was unleashed upon the world, and now, we've got an exclusive tidbit to share with you all concerning the future of the franchise.

This afternoon, our own Eric Walkuski caught up with PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING director Steven S. DeKnight, and while sharing a chin-wag about the new film, DeKnight clued us in on the possible future of the Pacific RIm franchise:

"We've had early conversations about what the plot of the next movie would be, and how the end of the next movie would springboard into a widening of the Pacific Rim universe to the scope of Star Wars or Star Trek. Really cracking it open, [in regard to] where you can go with the main movies. You can go stand-alone movies and expand the universe. You could totally do a TV show… I would love to see an animated TV show," said DeKnight.

Whoa, a PACIFIC RIM universe akin to something like Star Wars or Star Trek? That's some Mass Effect-level ambition there, Steven. Straight up though, will we eventually see the franchise go beyond the familiar cityscapes of the first two films? Are we talking PACIFIC RIM: IN SPACE, here? Kaijus and giant robots battling on the moon and all that jazz? I feel like the sky is the limit with a property such as this, and I'm excited to see what the PR team has cooked up for the future of the mechs versus monsters blockbuster romp.

Are you down for more mayhem courtesy of the PACIFIC RIM universe? Where would you like to see the franchise go with future installments? Let us know in the comments section below.

PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING starring John Boyega, Burn Gorman, Rinko Kikuchi, Scott Eastwood, Adria Arjona, Charlie Day and Tian Jing will cyber-punch its way into theaters beginning on March 23, 2018.