Live-Action ‘Pacific Rim’ TV Show in the Works at Amazon Prime Video

Giant robots battling enormous monsters will soon stomp their way to television screens as the Pacific Rim franchise expands its universe beyond feature films. The previously announced live-action series adaptation has officially secured a streaming home at Amazon Prime Video, with development now underway through a partnership between Legendary Television and Amazon MGM Studios, Variety reports.

The upcoming program, which was initially revealed in 2024, will function as a prequel to the blockbuster movies, though specific plot elements remain tightly guarded, according to Variety. Award-nominated screenwriter Eric Heisserer has been tapped to craft the narrative and executive produce the project under his Chronology production banner, marking the first venture in Chronology’s first-look television arrangement with Legendary.

Unlike the animated Pacific Rim: The Black series that streamed on Netflix between 2021 and 2022, this adaptation will feature live-action storytelling. While the show explores earlier chapters in the franchise’s timeline, sources indicate that additional theatrical releases remain a possibility, suggesting studio confidence in the property’s continued viability across multiple formats.

The original Pacific Rim film, directed by Guillermo del Toro from a screenplay he co-wrote with Travis Beacham, debuted in 2013 and generated over $400 million globally. This initial entry introduced viewers to a world where massive interdimensional creatures known as Kaiju emerge from beneath the Pacific Ocean to attack humanity, prompting the construction of enormous piloted mechanical warriors called Jaegers as Earth’s primary defense system.

A sequel titled Pacific Rim Uprising followed in 2018, further expanding the franchise that has since grown to encompass various media, including comics, novels, and merchandise beyond its screen adaptations.

Heisserer brings substantial genre expertise to the project, having previously served as showrunner, executive producer, and writer for Netflix’s fantasy series Shadow and Bone. His screenplay credentials include an Academy Award nomination for Arrival (2017) and writing credits on successful films like Netflix’s Bird Box, horror thriller Lights Out, and science fiction adaptation Bloodshot.

The original Pacific Rim film starred an ensemble cast including Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, and Burn Gorman, while the sequel featured John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, and Cailee Spaeny, with Kikuchi and Gorman reprising their roles. Whether the television prequel will incorporate characters with familial connections to the films’ protagonists, similar to how Boyega portrayed the son of Elba’s character Stacker Pentecost, remains an intriguing possibility for longtime fans. No casting announcements or production timeline details have been revealed yet for the upcoming series.