Mark your calendars now, folks, because Pacific Rim 2 has been given a release date. The sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 robot epic will hit theaters on April 7, 2017, brought to you by Universal Pictures and Legendary. That’s only 1,014 days away (from the date of this announcement)! Can you hardly stand it?

According to a statement exclusive to BuzzFeed, del Toro explained what fans of the original could expect to see. “The characters I love will return: Raleigh, Mako, Newt, Gottlieb and who knows, maybe even Hannibal Chau – but we are taking them into a fresh territory that will display amazing sights and battles. The first film set the stage and now we’re ready to have a blast.”

For those of you out there worrying about the cast list, fear not, as the film’s original motley crew — which included Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, and Rinko Kikuchi — are all expected to return, pending the signing of their contracts officially. Zak Penn is said to be co-writing the script with del Toro, who’s also mentioned the original film’s scribe, Travis Beacham, will contribute in some capacity to the expansion of its overall universe.

But that’s not even the half of it! The director even recorded a fancy-schmancy video message, detailing the additional Pacific Rim-faced goodies expected to appear in the interim. This includes an animated series set in the same universe and the continuation of the comic book series as well. Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-check it out:

Looking forward to more Pacific Rim? Hit us with your thoughts in the comments.

Image: Legendary Pictures