The consecutive summers of 2013-2014 saw the movie lovers once again familiarize themselves with huge monsters (Kaiju) and the robots battling against them. This happened courtesy Pacific Rim and the Godzilla reboot respectively.
Now the cycle has been completed as both these franchises are coming up with sequels in 2018 and 2019. We will see Pacific Rim: Uprising coming next year and Godzilla: King of Monsters releasing in 2019.
Fans are already ecstatic about the upcoming sequels, but, they heard something even more exciting when the possibility of a crossover between Pacific Rim and Legendary’s Monster Universe was discussed. Now it has been revealed that there have been real talks and efforts to hammer things out into a concept!
Crossover Talks
The crossover which was pretty much a fan fantasy, suddenly took a turn to become a reality when the director Steven S. DeKnight (Pacific Rim: Uprising) was questioned by Collider about such a possibility and he gave this reply:
“…there’s been a lot of discussion about that possibility [of crossing over]. Look I think it would be fantastic to have the Pacific Rim universe join Legendary’s Monster Universe, it seems like a natural step. And part of the big overall plan after the third movie we’ve talked about is that could happen; it’s always a possibility. It’s by far not a certainty; it’s merely theoretical at this point, but as a fan myself I would love to see that happen.”
That’s exactly what we said!
Both these franchises have a great degree of simplicity, and that makes the crossover a viable option. Fans love to see huge robots take on huge monsters; huge monsters fight huge monsters and humans frantically figuring out ways not to get stomped upon in the battle of the giants. Considering the directions where both these franchises seem to be headed, we find it not too difficult to see how this crossover can become a reality:
How Pacific Rim Can Crossover With Godzilla/Kong
Pacific Rim trilogy is likely to end with the Kaiju being destroyed or at least their threat is neutralized so that the Jaeger program can end and humanity goes back to normal fun and peace times.
For the iconic Monster Universe, the way ahead is to see Godzilla 2 unleash a larger number of Kaijuu monsters originating out of someplace near Earth’s core, and the monsters (Rhodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah) will then go on wreaking havoc in our world. The MONARCH organization will have to take these monsters on with the support of the giant himself. Godzilla.Kong: Skull Island has already proved that Godzilla and King Kong have both originated from this netherworld and these two monsters are set to hammer each other in Godzilla vs. Kong which is being directed by Adam Winguard (Death Note) and is scheduled to release in 2020.
The mega event movie is likely to end with Godzilla and Kong waving white flags at each other instead of it being a death battle; this would set up the crossover with Pacific Rim nicely!
Both the franchises depend on monsters from other realms and strange worlds coming out to cause destruction; it is quite easy to create a narrative of a portal connecting the worlds of Pacific Rim and the world inhabited by Godzilla and Kong. It will be a great treat to watch the giants Godzilla and Kong become the hunted rather than the mighty hunters. Fans won’t mind paying to watch such a spectacle.
Pacific Rim: Uprising will hit cinemas on March 23, 2018, and Godzilla: King of Monsters will come out on March 22, 2019, to be followed by Godzilla vs. Kong on May 22, 2020.
