EXCLUSIVE: Legendary Pictures has set Steven S. DeKnight to direct Pacific Rim 2, the follow-up to Guillermo del Toro and Travis Beacham’s epic 2013 action-adventure film. The current script was written by Jon Spaihts based on characters created by Beacham and del Toro. Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, del Toro and Mary Parent are producing and Jillian Share will be executive producer. Universal Pictures will release the film worldwide in 3D. Del Toro’s 2013 film grossed $411 million worldwide. About 75 percent of that came from overseas, and it was a big hit in China, where it was worth $111 million.

Pacific Rim 2 marks DeKnight’s feature directorial debut. He most recently served as executive producer and head writer of Marvel’s Daredevil for Netflix. DeKnight created the international hit series Spartacus for Starz and has written, directed and produced on such television series as Joss Whedon’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel and Dollhouse, as well as Smallville.

Spaihts recently scripted Prometheus with Damon Lindelof. Both DeKnight and Spaihts are repped by CAA, and the scribe is managed by Circle of Confusion. It’s another big-scale film on the Legendary slate, which has Warcraft opening June 10 and The Great Wall bowing February 17, 2017.