The $2.5 Billion Kaiju Movie Franchise Proves How The Upcoming Pacific Rim Show Can Work

The Pacific Rim Franchise has gone through several different forms of media, and the upcoming TV show in this universe has high expectations thanks to a similar franchise that proves that the concept can work. From Legendary Entertainment, The Pacific Rim Live-action TV show will be a prequel to the events of Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 kaiju classic. There are very few details available about the plot or any of the cast and crew that will be involved with its production, but the show will likely feature the early days of the “Kaiju War” depicted in the original movie.

As is often the case when a movie franchise moves into the world of streaming TV, there is some wariness among fans of the franchise about the quality of the TV show. The Pacific Rim Franchise is highlighted by battles between incredible monsters and massive robots, and the hesitation is that by transitioning to the small screen, the franchise could lose the elements that make it great. Fortunately, there is already proof that a Pacific Rim TV shows can not only work, but can generate legitimate acclaim.

Monsterverse’s first live action show proves Pacific Rim’s TV prequel could work

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was embraced by fans and critics alike

Legendary Entertainment has already proven that a kaiju-based TV show can work; The Monsterverse’s companion show Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was a streaming hit for Apple TV+. Monarch Had plenty of Titan action to keep the spirit of the Monsterverse alive, and included both brand new creatures and appearances from the Alpha Titans Godzilla and Kong himself. It also managed to introduce an entirely new location to the Monsterverse known as Axis Mundi, a place between the surface world and the Titan Haven Hollow Earth where time works differently and monsters roam free.

The success of Monarch is a direct proof that Pacific Rims TV prequel can be a success, especially given how massive the existing Pacific Rim Fanbase is already. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Existed in a world that was already well-established and built by the time the show debuted, it was able to focus on parts of the world and timeline that were previously unexplored. The Pacific Rim Prequel shows have the same opportunity, as the lore of the universe is already well-established in Pacific Rim, Pacific Rim: Uprising and the Netflix animated show Pacific Rim: The Black.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is exactly what the Pacific Rim TV show should be like

It focused on the human element of the story

The main downside to a franchise like the Monsterverse or Pacific Rim To transfer to the TV format is that, due to budget constraints, it is impossible to maintain the screen time ratio for the monsters/robots that a movie would typically have. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Solved this problem by focusing on the human side of the explosion of Titan activity in the world, and establishing characters that the audience could really care about. The show also greatly expanded the world of the Monsterverse with the introduction of Axis Mundi, which allowed for time jumps and an intriguing non-Titan plot to follow.

Pacific Rim’s TV prequel show could accomplish something similar, focusing on the human fallout from the early days of the Kaiju War. Exploring the ground-level consequences of “kaiju blue”, the toxic blood spilled by defeated kaijus, the kaiju body part black mark, and the early days of the development of the Jaegar program could all be viable human-based stories that the prequel could Explore. All this space would also guarantee that there are further appearances of Kaiju, Jaegers, or both, ensuring that the Pacific Rim Prequel show does not lose the best element of the movies.