'Pacific Rim 2' Release Date Is April 7, 2017; Animated Series Confirmed! [VIDEO]

We are canceling the apocalypse, again! Director Guillermo del Toro has confirmed a sequel to "Pacific Rim." The new "Pacific Rim 2" release date will be April 7, 2017.

“The characters I love will return,” del Toro told BuzzFeed. “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.”

Reports confirm that Guillermo del Toro will be working with Zak Penn original as well as original co-writer Travis Beacham on the script. In "Pacific Rim," ace Jaeger pilots Raleigh Beckett and Mako Mori get strapped in Gypsy Danger to defeat the mighty Kaijus and close the Kaiju rift in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean once and for all. However, a sequel suggests that the interdimensional rift managed to reopen.

"We are happy to be bringing you more Jaegers, more Kaijus, kicking each other's butts," said del Toro. "Pacific Rim 2" plot details are limited, but according to the Mexican director, "Pacific Rim 2" sequel will begin exactly where "Pacific Rim" left off. Original heroes Raleigh Beckett, played by Charlie Hunnam, and Mako Mori, played by Rinko Kikuchi, will continue to be the main characters of the story. Returning cast will also include the include made scientists Dr. Newton Geiszler and Dr. Gottlieb, played by the funny Charlie Day and Burn Gorman, respectively.

Hannibal Chau may return for "Pacific Rim 2" as well. In the first movie, Hannibal Chau was devoured by a hungry baby Kaiju. However, a mid-credit scene shows Chau cutting himself out of the belly of the Kaiju and asking for his shoe!

Last but not least, Guillermo del Toro also confirmed a "Pacific Rim" animated series and a "Pacific Rim: Year Zero" comic book. "Pacific Rim 2" arrives in theaters April 7, 2017. Stay tuned as we learn more about the "Pacific Rim" sequel, its animated series, and its comic book in the months ahead!