The sequel to Guillermo del Toro's 2013 robots vs. aliens spectacle Pacific Rim has finally been green-lit by Legendary Pictures, and will hit theatres April 7, 2017.

BuzzFeed reports that an animated series set in the Pacific Rim universe is also incoming, dropping at an undetermined time before the sequel and released in the USA by Universal Pictures.Earlier on in the month, it was reported that del Toro was hard at work on a script with new collaborator Zak Penn, and he has now revealed that original co-writer Travis Beacham would also be contributing.“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.”Del Toro has said that the film will follow on from the events of the first movie, and will focus on original heroes Raleigh (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako (Rinko Kikuchi).This is terrific news for fans of the original. The film performed poorly at the domestic box office, leaving its future uncertain, but was saved in the international market, where it gained a massive 75% of its worldwide box office gross.

Lucy O'Brien is Entertainment Editor at IGN AU. Follow her ramblings on Twitter.