It looks like the apocalypse is going to be cancelled again, after all! Multiple outlets are reporting that Daredevil season 1 showrunner Steven S. DeKnight is being tapped to direct Pacific Rim 2, the sequel to Guillermo del Toro‘s 2013 giant robot vs. giant monster movie. The film, which marks DeKnight’s feature film directorial debut, will be released by Universal Pictures worldwide in 3D. Here’s hoping that we can expect to see Gipsy Danger throwing down in the Shatterdome hangar against a bunch of Kaiju a la that brutal hallway beatdown from Daredevil‘s first season.

This news may come as a shock to many fans who thought that Pacific Rim 2 was dead in the water. As of October 2015, Del Toro reported that the film’s budget and script had been turned in, leaving him to play the waiting game.

When we spoke with Pacific Rim screenwriter Travis Beacham back in November, he had this to say of the sequel’s prospects:

“I can just say that if I were betting on it, I wouldn’t bet on it as necessarily being dead. I think it’s literally sort of indefinite. It could still happen. But as far as how the decision’s going to be made, it’s sort of above my pay grade. But we’ll see.”

Now, though, it appears that reports of the film’s death were greatly exaggerated. The film’s current script was penned by Doctor Strange and Passengers scribe Jon Spaihts, based on characters created by Del Toro and Beacham. Del Toro may not be sitting in the director’s chair, but he is still involved in the film, serving as a producer alongside Mary Parent, as well as Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni. Pacific Rim 2 does not yet have a release date, but it seems that, in fact, progress is being made.

Considering that the original film grossed $411 million worldwide and was a massive hit internationally, it makes sense that they’d want to return to this narrative well. I’m still holding out hope that my prediction from the very first episode of The Dan Cave — that a Godzilla/King Kong/Pacific Rim shared cinematic universe is on the way — comes to pass. After all, King Kong vs. Godzilla is coming in 2020. Who’s to say we can’t add a “vs. Pacific Rim” in 2022? But all of that is just wishful thinking for now.

More importantly, though, I’m hoping that they’re still looking to cast Maisie Williams in the sci-fi sequel. And more Ron Perlman as Hannibal Chau, too, because come on, it’s Ron Perlman.

Nerdist has reached out to DeKnight’s representatives at CAA for comment.

What would you like to see happen in Pacific Rim 2? What do you think of Steven S. DeKnight directing? Let us know in the comments below.

Editor’s note: Nerdist Industries is a subsidiary of Legendary Digital Networks.

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HT: Deadline

Image: Legendary Pictures

Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter and ask about his overly convoluted backstory (@Osteoferocious).

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