Pacific Rim and Pacific Rim: Uprising felt like the beginning of a promising franchise, so what are the chances Pacific Rim 3 will happen? Fans shouldn't be ready to throw in the towel yet.

The first Pacific Rim film was written and directed by Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro and starred Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, and Charlie Hunnam. Pacific Rim: Uprising followed five years later in 2018, directed by Steven S. DeKnight and starring John Boyega, Charlie Day, Cailee Spaeny, and Scott Eastwood. Both films tell stories of pilots who operate gigantic robot suits called Jaegers. The Jaegers were created to fight the alien Kaiju, who rose from the seas with the intention of destroying all life.

Related: How Pacific Rim's Alternate Timeline & History Works

The promise of more Pacific Rim story and a director with plenty of ideas feels like Pacific Rim 3 could happen even with Uprising's dismal theatrical performance. Here's what we know about Pacific Rim 3.

There's More Pacific Rim Story To Tell

Cailee Spaeny in Pacific Rim: Uprising

There is still a lot of questions to be answered, more backstory to be given, and new stories to be told in the world of Pacific Rim, so it makes complete sense for Pacific Rim 3 to get greenlit. Pacific Rim: Uprising ended on a hopeful note as the humans celebrate their victory over the Precursors. In the film's final moments, Jake Pentecost (Boyega) tells Newt (Day) the humans are going to have to take matters into their own hands and go to where the Precursors and Kaiju originated to end them for good. Jake's line seems to have planted the seeds for Pacific Rim 3 to not only go deeper into the backstory of the Precursors but also take the story in a fresh direction.

Pacific Rim: Uprising Director Knows What To Do For Pacific Rim 3

DeKnight has spoken about his ideas for Pacific Rim 3. In 2018, he made comments which tie in nicely with Jake's final line in Pacific Rim: Uprising about meeting the Precursors on their own turf. DeKnight also assured fans on Twitter that central Pacific Rim character Mako Mori's story would be explored in a third Pacific Rim film should it get greenlit. He said, "I can't say more about that yet, but a concept revolving around Mako was a huge part of the third movie. Her storyline was far from complete." While it calls Mako's death in Pacific Rim: Uprising into question, bringing her back in some was would surely be a satisfying addition to a Pacific Rim 3 plot.

One of the final tantalizing bits from DeKnight on his vision for Pacific Rim 3 was shared during an exclusive interview with Screen Rant. At the time, DeKnight teased one idea he had for Pacific Rim 3: "There was a very clear idea for what the third movie was. Without giving too much away, I can say getting the band back together was a very large part of it." This was the last of DeKnight's comments on Pacific Rim 3 as he's moved on from the world of Pacific Rim and the future of the film franchise has grown more uncertain.

A Pacific Rim Anime Is Coming In 2020

If Pacific Rim 3 doesn't end up happening, the franchise will continue. A Pacific Rim anime series was announced back in 2018 for Netflix. The series will follow a brother and sister who must pilot a Jaeger in order to find their missing parents. There's great potential with the series to feature Easter eggs from the Pacific Rim films while also building out the world, although those details have yet to be confirmed. In July 2019, it was announced the Pacific Rim anime series would have two seasons and it would premiere in 2020. Casting details or other productions specifics are still being kept under wraps.

Next: All 17 Unmade Guillermo del Toro Movie Ideas & Why They Were Canceled