The Pacific Rim franchise is set to expand further thanks to an upcoming Netflix anime series which will continue to develop this ongoing cinematic universe. Kaiju have always been incredibly popular on screen, but, in the year that will see Godzilla Vs. Kong released, audiences will also get to see some new Jaeger action.
Netflix has actually been quite tight-lipped in regards to details on the show. While an official trailer for the series has debuted which looks to have a seven-episode run, there’s still a number of other tidbits of information that fans of the franchise may not know regarding the upcoming project based on the Guillermo Del Toro brand.
The Title
The Pacific Rim franchise has gone through three different titles so far. The first was Pacific Rim, which set up the franchise. The second was Uprising, which saw humanity revolt once again against the oncoming storm of monsters from another world.
This third installment has been entitled The Black, but it’s currently unclear as to why this name has been chosen. It’s plausible that it’s a reference to the blackout of power, which will be touched upon again later, or perhaps a name for where these famous Kaiju originate from.
Relation To The Movies
In terms of its link to the previously released films, this anime series is very much still set in the same universe. This is not a reboot, nor is it a direct sequel. It instead serves as a continuation of sorts, picking up with a new set of characters who inhabit the same world.
That means that a lot of old ideas, concept art, and action sequences from the movies that were never used, could be woven into this show. What’s more, there has been a confirmation that The Black is set years after the movies in a future in which humans have not used Jaegers for a long time.
The Setting
The Pacific Rim franchise has become quite the global series thus far, with the movies taking audiences across the world and showcasing Jaeger pilots from every corner of Earth. It may be a strange choice considering the popularity of the movies in Asia, but the series will actually be set in Australia.
The official synopsis for the show makes mention to the fact that Australia has actually been overrun by Kaiju, resulting in the human population having to evacuate. There is a blackout in the country, and very few have remained in these inhospitable conditions.
The Protagonists
Despite Australia becoming such a dangerous place to live, two siblings have decided to stay behind. These are the protagonists of the show, with Hayley and Taylor Travis trying to survive in these conditions as they search for their parents, who are somewhere on the island.
It’s a bold mission, and it’s one where they will have to rely on old Kaiju fighting techniques in order to fulfill it. The two siblings put their bond to the test when they find an abandoned Jaeger, which they pilot for some incredible sci-fi monster-hunting action.
Production Team
While Netflix has signed on to the project as both financers and distributors, there are a range of other studios that are involved with the project. Legendary Pictures is the studio that owns the brand, and Legendary Television is, therefore, a huge part of the production process.
They have also looked to the incredibly famous Japanese animation studio, Polygon Pictures. Known for its 3D computer-generated animation, the company has worked on huge series including Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Transformers: Prime, as well as previous Godzilla films.
Showrunners
In order to help the series reach its full potential, these studios have hired two extremely talented showrunners to take on the daunting task of forming a compelling script for this well-established sci-fi world, as well as serving as executive producers.
Interestingly, both have ties to Marvel, and especially Thor. Craig Kyle is a well-known comic book writer, known mainly for his time at Marvel. He has contributed to a great range of titles and TV shows, as well as working on the script for Thor: Ragnarok. Greg Johnson has worked in animation as a writer for a long time, with many Marvel and indeed Thor credits to his own name.
Run Of Anime Adaptations
Netflix’s choice to create an anime series from this property continues on from an industry trend which is seeing a number of well-known properties use this style of animation in upcoming shows. Of course, the genre has only become increasingly popular with countless heartwarming and dramatic anime series to enjoy.
Other science fiction franchises such as Blade Runner and even Star Wars will be turning to the anime medium with Black Lotus and Visions, respectively. There’s little doubt that Netflix will continue turning to anime in the future for some of their other highly-anticipated projects.
Commissioned For Two Seasons
Despite the fact that the first season hasn’t even been released on the streaming platform yet, Netflix has already commissioned The Black to a second season. This is not totally uncommon in the streaming world, especially for an animated show.
It may be that the showrunners and animators have already begun work on the second season. It does show a lot of confidence for the series, though, which should come with its own built-in audience thanks to the success of the Pacific Rim movies.
Delays
This series originally began production in 2018, with Netflix eyeing a 2020 release date. However, as with so many other productions in the last year, the studio had to pause all of the work on The Black due to the ongoing global crisis.
The series went back into production once again when it was safe to do so, but the result of this meant that Netflix had to push back the release date. The good news is that the show has very much been on track to release in 2021.
It’s Release Date
Not only is the year confirmed, the trailer has been set and production is pretty much complete on the project, but Netflix has put out the official release date for Pacific Rim: The Black, and it’s much sooner than anyone may realize!
The show is set to debut on March 4th. It’s unclear whether Netflix plans on dropping the show all at once or perhaps following the more recent trend of delaying each episode week by week in the style of a traditional television schedule.
