Legendary Pictures has hired screenwriter Travis Beacham to pen Pacific Rim 2, a follow-up to director Guillermo del Toro's upcoming Pacific Rim.

Travis Beacham wrote the original screenplay for Pacific Rim, which won't be in theaters until July of this coming year. Despite the release being more than six months away, Legendary Pictures is already prepping the sequel.

Pacific Rim and its sequel will follow a defense force consisting of giant robots known as Jaegers and the pilots that man them. They are pitted against giant Kaiju monsters intent on destroying the entire planet. Guillermo del Toro is planning to collaborate with Travis Beacham on the sequel's screenplay.

It is not known at this time if Guillermo del Toro will return to direct, or if he will hand the reins over to someone else. The director is currently commited to helming Crimson Peak for Universal Pictures, which begins shooting in January of 2014.