View source for Pacific Rim: Steel Warriors

{{DISPLAYTITLE|''Pacific Rim: Steel Warriors'' (animated series)}}
{{HistoryPage}}<br>
{{Youmay|the cancelled animated series|the [[Pacific Rim: The Black|Netflix animated series]]}}<br>
{{Television_Infobox
| title          = ''Pacific Rim: Steel Warriors'' 
| image          = [[File:Pacific Rim Steel Warriors Profile.png|250px]]
| caption        = Illustration by Tommy Lee Edwards
| format         = {{Wiki|Animated series}}
| director       = {{Wiki|Tommy Lee Edwards}} (art director)
| producer       = [[Guillermo del Toro]]
| distributor    = [[Legendary Entertainment]],<br>{{Wiki|Film Roman}}
}}
{{Quote|We’re formulating ideas that are, again, interesting and not the usual route, but the series tackles the stories that happened to pilots working in the Shatterdome, but also cadets learning how to become pilots. All of this happens prior to the first movie, and it gives you a little more depth into the background of certain characters that will appear in the second movie.|Guillermo del Toro<ref name="wallstreet"/>}}
'''''Pacific Rim: Steel Warriors'''''<ref name="steelwarriors"/> was an {{Wiki|animated series}} announced by [[Guillermo del Toro]] and [[Legendary Entertainment]].

==Background==
===Pre-Production===
On June 26, 2014, director Guillermo del Toro announced on {{Wiki|BuzzFeed}} that he and Legendary Pictures was working to produce [[Pacific Rim 2|the sequel]] to ''[[Pacific Rim (film)|Pacific Rim]]''.<ref name="buzzfeed2">[https://web.archive.org/web/20140701143321/http://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/pacific-rim-2-release-date “Pacific Rim 2” Will Storm Into Theaters On April 7, 2017]</ref> In the same video announcement, del Toro also announced that Legendary would work with him to produce an animated series and an [[Pacific Rim: Tales From The Drift|then-ongoing comic book title]] until the sequel's then-release date in April of 2017.<ref name="buzzfeed2"/>

In an interview with the ''{{Wiki|Wall Street Journal}}'', del Toro explained they were looking into the possibility of networks.<ref name="wallstreet">[https://web.archive.org/web/20140706060003/https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2014/07/03/guillermo-del-toro-on-pacific-rim-2-at-the-mountains-of-madness-and-more/ Guillermo Del Toro on ‘Pacific Rim 2,’ ‘At the Mountains of Madness’ and More]</ref> Legendary Pictures was looking into all network possibilities, but del Toro would not disclose who specifically.<ref name="collider"/> “I think in this series, it would be great to find a place that can give it a proper presentation and can advertise the creation of the series. So we’re open to being pleasantly surprised everywhere.” 

He specified that they were searching for Japanese animation companies with strong animation background and compiling writers for the series.<ref name="collider"/> del Toro estimated that the animated series would have run for two years on the air by the time the ''Pacific Rim'' sequel was released in theaters in 2017, while the ongoing comic book title would have run for three years.<ref name="wallstreet"/><ref group="note">'''del Toro:''' "[...]I was incredibly happy with the comic book series that came about from a graphic novel called “Tales From Year Zero,” and we are continuing the tales for the next three years. So by the time the second movie comes out, you will have probably one year of the animation airing, and you will have three years of the comic book series ongoing, so we are trying for all these things to be canon, to be in the same universe, to not wing anything, so that if anyone … a lot of kids, for example, have discovered “Pacific Rim” through the toys. They come in through the toys, and then they watch the movie, and then they learn this, they learn that through the movie or the comic book series, so we’re trying to make it canon so we can expand the universe. And by the time we come into the second movie, you have a good feel for the world, and we can dedicate ourselves to character and ideas and spectacle."</ref>

===Series name and artwork===
In 2017 multimedia illustrator {{Wiki|Tommy Lee Edwards}} updated his {{URL|www.artstation.com/|ArtStation}} profile with {{Wiki|key frame}} artwork, illustrations, and {{Wiki|model sheet|character concept}}s for the series, ''Pacific Rim: Steel Warriors''.<ref name="steelwarriors">[https://www.artstation.com/artwork/ExxkK Pacific Rim - the animated series, Tommy Lee Edwards]</ref> According to the description, ''Pacific Rim: Steel Warriors'' was being produced by Legendary with animation studio {{Wiki|Film Roman}}. The series was in pre-production as late as December 2014.<ref name="steelwarriors"/><ref group="note">Edwards's original save file names are dated "tommy-lee-edwards-screen-shot-2014-12-11-at-4:26pm" (December 11, 2014)</ref>

Model sheets described two characters named Pat Dixon and Arthur Windsor. Edwards worked on the project as art director with artists {{URL|www.imdb.com/name/nm2262222/|Don Cameron}}, {{URL|www.imdb.com/name/nm0058927/|Daryl Bartley}}, {{Wiki|Troy Nixey}}, and {{Wiki|John Paul Leon}}.<ref group="note">'''Tommy Lee Edwards:''' "I was art directing a PACIFIC RIM animated series for Film Roman and Legendary for a short while. Here are some of my key-frames, character designs, and concept illustrations. I had some great collaborators on this project, including Don Cameron, Troy Nixey, Daryl Bartley, and John Paul Leon."</ref><ref name="steelwarriors"/>

===Format===
With regard to the story, del Toro stated that he was looking for a way the series could tackle the stories of established [[Rangers]] working in the [[Shatterdome]], as well as [[cadets]] working to become Jaeger pilots. The series would also delve deeper into the [[Drift]], specifically, what is required of and what it does to a pilot.<ref name="wallstreet"/>

The animated series would've taken place before the events of the first film, acting as a bridge between the two films.<ref name="collider">[https://web.archive.org/web/20141219055428/http://collider.com/pacific-rim-animated-series-details/ Exclusive: Guillermo del Toro Talks PACIFIC RIM Animated Series; Says It’s Envisioned as a Long Arc That Connects to PACIFIC RIM 2, Not Episodic]</ref> It would also establish background on characters that would've appeared in the original story for the ''Pacific Rim'' sequel.<ref name="wallstreet"/> 

The series would've been written as a single arc instead of episodic. Thirteen episodes long, the series would've elaborated further on the evolution of the [[Kaiju]], the [[Precursors]], and the technology of the [[Jaeger]]s themselves. If television series was successful, the series itself would continue to build using a single story arc and avoid "weekly adventures". “I don’t want it to be like Chapter One is a little action thing and it gets resolved in 40 minutes or an hour and then the next episode, [it’s like] nothing happened. My favorite anime series always have a long arc.”<ref name="collider"/>

===Cancellation===
Following the announcement of [[Steven S. DeKnight]] as director for ''[[Pacific Rim Uprising (film)|Pacific Rim Uprising]]'' in 2016<ref name="deknight2016">[https://web.archive.org/web/20160309040719/http://collider.com/pacific-rim-2-director-steven-s-deknight/ Pacific Rim 2: Steven S. DeKnight to Direct]</ref>, the animated series as originally conceived was scrapped. In an April 2017 interview with ''Collider.com'', del Toro hoped that the animated series would still come to fruition.<ref name="animatedhopes1">[https://web.archive.org/web/20170429001212/http://collider.com/guillermo-del-toro-trollhunters-season-2-interview/ Exclusive: Guillermo del Toro on ‘Trollhunters’ Season 2 Plans, If He’d Direct a ‘Star Wars’ Movie]</ref><ref name="animatedhopes2">[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415142331/http://screenrant.com/pacific-rim-animated-series-guillermo-del-toro/ Pacific Rim: Guillermo del Toro Still Hopeful for Animated Series]</ref>

September 2018, Legendary announced a [[Pacific Rim: The Black|reconceptualized animated series]] as part of their partnership with [[Netflix]].<ref name="pacrimanime1">[https://web.archive.org/web/20181110054041/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/pacific-rim-altered-carbon-anime-projects-netflixs-new-slate-asian-originals-1159238 'Pacific Rim' and 'Altered Carbon' Anime Projects Among Netflix's New Slate of Asian Originals]</ref><ref name="pacrimanime2">[https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184517/https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/8/18075394/pacific-rim-altered-carbon-cagaster-of-an-insect-cage-yasuke-trese-netflix-anime-slate Pacific Rim and Altered Carbon anime shows are coming to Netflix]</ref> Animated by [[Polygon Pictures]], the series debuted March 4, 2021.<ref name="PRTBNetflix">[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=24014 Pacific Rim: The Black (ONA)]</ref>

==Trivia==
*Noted Japanese animation director, {{Wiki|Masami Ōbari|Masami Ōbari}} expressed an interest in animating the opening of the animated series.<ref name="obaritwitter">[https://web.archive.org/web/20140903172957/https://twitter.com/G1_BARI/status/482353099550371840 @大張正己MasamiObari]</ref><ref group="note">'''Original:''' 2017年公開予定の2に先駆けてパシフィック・リムのTVアニメシリーズか…
OPアニメやりたいなあ…(￣ω￣).<br>'''Translated:''' "A Pacific Rim animated TV series ahead of the 2017 release of 2... I want to do the OP animation....."</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Pacific Rim Steel Warriors Concept (tommy-lee-edwards)-01.jpg|Illustration of Mako Mori on a motorcycle (with a Jaeger in the background).
Pacific Rim Steel Warriors Concept (tommy-lee-edwards)-02.jpg|Illustration art of Coyote Tango fighting a Kaiju
</gallery>
===Key Frame Artwork===
<gallery>
Pacific Rim Steel Warriors Concept (tommy-lee-edwards)-07.jpg|Key frame artwork of the Gipsy Danger vs. Leatherback battle from ''Pacific Rim'' (1/3)
Pacific Rim Steel Warriors Concept (tommy-lee-edwards)-03.jpg|Key frame artwork of the Gipsy Danger vs. Leatherback battle from ''Pacific Rim'' (2/3)
Pacific Rim Steel Warriors Concept (tommy-lee-edwards)-04.jpg|Key frame artwork of the Gipsy Danger vs. Leatherback battle from ''Pacific Rim'' (3/3)
</gallery>
===Concept Art===
<gallery>
Pacific Rim Steel Warriors Concept (tommy-lee-edwards)-05.jpg|Early concept art of the character Pat Dixon
Pacific Rim Steel Warriors Concept (tommy-lee-edwards)-06.jpg|Early concept art of the character Arthur Windsor
</gallery>

==Notes==
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{{Notes}}
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==References==
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{{Reflist|2}}
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{{Merchandise}}
{{Scrapped Content}}
[[Category:Tie-Ins]]
[[Category:Animated Series]]