Legendary announces that John Boyega has been cast as the lead character of Pacific Rim 2. Boyega will also co-produce the upcoming sequel.
When I walked into the theater to watch Pacific Rim in July 2013, I really didn’t know what to expect. I’d heard very little about the film, though I did know they had a presence at San Diego Comic Con the previous year. I knew that my boo-thang Charlie Hunnam was in the Guillermo del Toro production and I knew it had something to do with some type of alien. But I’m always down for a summer action flick, so I had an open mind.
Then the movie started and my mind was blown. Aliens emerging from another dimension via a portal in the Pacific Ocean, humans mind-melding with giant robots to fight the massive Kaiju (Team Gipsy Danger!)… throw in Idris Elba with Charlie, plus the badass Rinko Kikuchi as Mako Mori and I was all in.
Truth be told, I could watch movie every day. The visual effects are on point, there are some hilarious moments, and I find the character relationships to be compelling, particularly between Marshal Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba) and Mako and Mako/Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam).
There has been a lot of speculation about potential sequels to Pacific Rim. In 2014, del Toro confirmed that he would be back to direct Pacific Rim 2, which would be released in April 2017 (via Variety). With that said, several reports have indicated that production has been pushed back (along with the release date), culminating in an announcement from Legendary Pictures that the sequel was on hold indefinitely ( via Variety). BOO!
Then today, we got some amazing news! Legendary announced that John Boyega would come on board as the lead character in the second installment of Pacific Rim. Specifically, Boyega will play Marshal Pentecost’s son. (***SPOILER ALERT*** You’ll recall that Stacker Pentecost died at the end of the first film when he and Chuck Hansen [Robert Kazinsky] sacrificed themselves in a plan to close the Breach for good.)
We also learned that Steven S. DeKnight will direct the film, while Thomas Tull, Mary Parent, Jon Jashni, and del Toro will produce. Even more exciting, Boyega will also be co-producing with Femi Oguns under their company Upper Room Productions. The film will be distributed by Universal Pictures around the world (with the exception of China).
According to del Toro:
“I am very proud and happy to welcome John into a fantastic sandbox. The Pacific Rim universe will be reinforced with him as a leading man as it continues to be a multicultural, multi-layered world. ‘The World saving the world’ was our goal and I couldn’t think of a better man for the job.”
We couldn’t agree more!
From the press release, we know they’re looking to start filming in the fourth quarter of this year, so hopefully we’ll have more information about the plot and other new and returning cast members. I’m hoping that Hunnam and Kikuchi are on that list!
John Boyega’s previous credits include STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS and ATTACK THE BLOCK. His upcoming projects include STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII, THE CIRCLE opposite Tom Hanks and Emma Watson, IMPERIAL DREAMS, WATERSHIP DOWN alongside James McAvoy and Sir Ben Kingsley, and he will star on stage next year in WOYZECK at The Old Vic. He is represented by WME and Identity Agency Group in the UK and Hansen Jacobson.
[SOURCES: Screenrant, Deadline Hollywood]