Legendary Taps Spartacus Creator Steven S. DeKnight To Direct Pacific Rim 2

LOS ANGELES - Legendary Pictures has tapped "Spartacus" creator Steven S. DeKnight as director for the long-awaited Pacific Rim 2, succeeding Guillermo del Toro who helmed the original film.

DeKnight was creator and executive producer of “Spartacus: War of the Damned” and now serves as showrunner for the CW’s hit superhero series “Daredevil.” The new movie, with a script by Jon Spaihts, follows 2013 original film which told the story of a war between mankind and giant sea creatures.

This movie has been off and on of late, since the original wasn’t exactly the hit it was expected to be, earning about $411 million worldwide. It had been budgeted at $190 million.

Guillermo del Toro will remain with the project as a producer.