However, once you get past the initial idea stage, how do you go about writing this and grounding it in a compelling reality? Because it's such a difficult task to make a movie at this scale while also giving it a human element that we actually care about – and we're not just waiting for the next giant robot/monster scene. I was a screenwriter, and if ideas couldn't come from me, what was the point? Yeah, I just really, really wanted to see that kind of movie is basically the most honest explanation of where it came from. giant monster movie,' and then at some point I just realized that I was the 'they' in this equation. When I'd gotten into the industry, I was thinking 'they should really do a modern robot vs. I come at it from a place of these being the first movies and first narrative experiences I'd ever had. I remember watching Voltron, I would burn out the local Blockbuster and all the old Godzilla titles and everything. Ever since I was a kid, I've been nuts about that stuff. Was part of the genesis of this project a response to that – the need to make a monster movie right?Ībsolutely, absolutely. Let's talk to Travis Beacham about it, shall we?ĬRAVE ONLINE: First things first, I just want to say thank you, because after the mess of Godzilla 1998, I was convinced I would never see a giant monster movie taken seriously enough to work the way it looks like Pacific Rim is going to work. The bottom line, though, is giant robots and giant monsters on my birthday and I couldn't be more excited. But you have to understand – Godzilla 1998 made me so angry that I wanted to sentence Emmerich to a life of having his genitals leapt upon by fat guys in cleats, and yet, the need to channel and vent that nerd rage resulted in the first time I ever actually reviewed a film, so I also kind of owe it my current career – something I've just realized while putting together this article. I recently spoke to Beacham about both projects, and I may have lost some of my journalistic objectivity in the process due to my eagerness.

In it, we'll see the first attack from the Kaiju – the monsters – as well as the rise of the Jaegers – humankind's giant robots, helmed by a pair of pilots working in mind-linked unison. He co-wrote the screenplay with Del Toro, and he's also giving us a prequel – Pacific Rim: Tales From Year Zero – in graphic novel form, due out on June 5. We have Travis Beacham to thank for that, since he was the impetus that got this ball rolling.

Giant Monster by Steve Niles