A few weeks ago our movie prayers were answered when it was announced that Guillermo del Toro received the green light to move forward with 'Pacific Rim 2,' but that's not all: he's also working on an animated series and continuing the 'Pacific Rim: Year Zero' graphic novel tie-in, giving us plenty of Jaeger and Kaiju adventures over the next few years. In a recent interview, the director opened up about these projects and gave some hints about what we can expect from 'Pacific Rim 2.'

Talking with the Wall Street Journal, Guillermo del Toro said he'll begin work designing for 'Pacific Rim 2' this August, which should take about six to nine months. As for what we can expect in the sequel, Del Toro explained that there were things he wanted to explore more in the first film:

It was hard to create a world that did not come from a comic book, that had its own mythology, so we had to sacrifice many aspects to be able to cram everything in the first movie. Namely, for example 'the Drift,' which was an interesting concept. [Then there was] this portal that ripped a hole into the fabric of our universe, what were the tools they were using? And we came up with a really, really interesting idea. I don't want to spoil it, but I think at the end of the second movie, people will find out that the two movies stand on their own. They're very different from each other, although hopefully bringing the same joyful giant spectacle. But the tenor of the two movies will be quite different.

So it seems that vague concepts like the Drift and the portal that allowed the Kaiju to enter our world will be more of a focus this time around, and the idea that these two films could function as separate entities while also existing in the same universe is an intriguing notion.

As for the planned animated series, Del Toro says they are talking about the possibilities of different television networks right now, and adds:

We’re formulating ideas that are, again, interesting and not the usual route, but the series tackles the stories that happened to pilots working in the Shatterdome, but also cadets learning how to become pilots. All of this happens prior to the first movie, and it gives you a little more depth into the background of certain characters that will appear in the second movie.

Regarding the continuation of the graphic novel and how that will fit in with the animated series and the sequel, the director says:

By the time the second movie comes out, you will have probably one year of the animation airing, and you will have three years of the comic book series ongoing, so we are trying for all these things to be canon, to be in the same universe, to not wing anything, so that if anyone... a lot of kids, for example, have discovered 'Pacific Rim' through the toys. They come in through the toys, and then they watch the movie, and then they learn this, they learn that through the movie or the comic book series, so we're trying to make it canon so we can expand the universe.

It seems like Guillermo del Toro and Co. are hard at work trying to build a new and original universe -- not unlike the existing world of superheroes with comic books and movies and TV shows. We have to say, we're pretty excited to see someone building a new world from the ground up instead of capitalizing on existing properties and mining our nostalgia to reboot old franchises. Go Guillermo!

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