'Pacific Rim 2' Release Date Announced, Scott Eastwood Possibly Attached

Ever since Legendary was bought by the Chinese mega-company Dailan Wanda Group, 'Pacific Rim 2' has had a breath of fresh air blown into it's sails. China loved the first film, and was a substantial chunk of its three-hundred million dollar international take. Recently, we saw proof of its resurrection in both the hiring of Stephen S. DeKnight and Derek Connolly to get a script together with DeKnight directing. Not long after it was announced that 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' star John Boyega would jump on board as one of the film's leads, playing Pentecost's son in the sequel. These are not the signs of a film in development, but in full-on pre-production. Now, we have another star potentially about to sign on and a studio-announced release date. Check out both below.

Legendary has finally revealed a release date for 'Pacific Rim 2,' slating it for February 23, 2018. This is surprising for a few reasons; one of them being that the December 25, 2017 mystery film announced by Legendary everyone thought was going to end up being 'PR 2' is actually a completely unknown movie yet to be revealed. It also shocked fans that the sequel to 'Pacific Rim' is officially moving forward at all. A release date shows that the studio is committed to the film and will most likely see it produced in the near future.

Cologne model and actor Scott Eastwood is also apparently in talks to star alongside John Boyega in 'Pacific Rim 2.' Whether he plays an original role or the child of one of the previous film's protagonists is yet to be released. This is after news of Eastwood potentially starring in 'Fast 8' as well, so he's definitely on the rise when it comes to tentpole blockbuster sequels. He previously served alongside Brad Pitt and Shia Labeuf in the critically and commercially successful 'Fury' back in 2014.

This is all great news to fans waiting patiently for the sequel and hoping that in a different director's hands, the franchise will reconcile some of the missteps of the first film. Time will tell if DeKnight and Connolly will take the amazing concept and swing for the fences like del Toro did, but either way I'm incredibly excited to sit down in a dark theater and see what happens next in this incredibly unique universe. 

'Star Wars' Actor John Boyega Drifts Into Lead Role For 'Pacific Rim 2'

I think this news has made me more excited for 'Pacific Rim 2' than anything else announced concerning the proposed sequel yet. Following our recent speculation on what might happen in the gargantuan follow-up, we at least now know who will be leading the fight. Deadline is reporting that John Boyega of 'Attack The Block' and 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' fame has been announced as taking the lead role in Stephen S. DeKnight's sequel to 2013's 'Pacific Rim.' Boyega joins Guillermo del Toro as a producer and is said to be playing the son of Idris Elba's iconic character Stacker Pentecost from the first film. See what del Toro had to say about Boyega's casting and our thoughts on why this is great news for the sequel below.

Guillermo del Toro was quoted by Deadline as saying this about Boyega:

“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.”

The fact that they've landed such a hot young actor as John Boyega means that Legendary is not fooling around with the sequel. Boyega's calendar exploded after 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' opened to critical and financial success, and the majority of audiences fell in love with Boyega's depiction of a conflicted Stormtrooper who joins the Resistance.

What he brings to 'Pacific Rim 2' is a legitimacy that, honestly, the first film didn't have with a broader audience. I also believe that he can act the hell out of any role he's given, and the fact that he's playing Pentecost's son in the new film is incredibly exciting. I wonder if his father's dour seriousness has passed on to his son, or if they casted Boyega to lighten up a film that uses the word "apocalypse" more regularly than most summer blockbusters? Either way, I can't wait to see this film develop more and am looking forward to a new take on the franchise.

'Pacific Rim 2' goes into production later this year and is slated for release on December 31, 2018.

'Pacific Rim 2' - Can The Apocalypse Be Uncanceled?

Ah, you've gotta love 2013's 'Pacific Rim.' Guillermo del Toro created a wonderful new kaiju universe to play around in as a love letter to giant monster fans everywhere, and the film was generally well received by them around the world. Now that we officially can squint and see a sequel on the horizon, I thought it might be fun to do some speculating on the plot of Steven S. DeKnight's follow-up and also dive into some additions that I would like to see in the future film. Keep in mind that some of these speculations are based on rumors floating around when the sequel was known as 'Pacific Rim: Maelstrom,' and was still going to be directed by del Toro. Also keep in mind that this article will contain SPOILERS for 'Pacific rim.' 
 

THE PLOT: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE DUST SETTLES?

In an interview with the website Collider way back in 2014, Guillermo del Toro stated that the sequel would not be a direct follow-up and would take place several years after the end of the the first film. The rift is no longer spitting out Kaiju, and every single usable Jaeger has been destroyed. How would the world rebuild after this war of attrition finished? Would the government even restart the Jaeger program completely?  These questions definitely seem like they would at the core of the opening info dump to explain what has happened in the last few years (narrated by Charlie Hunnam again).  I think it would be really cool if the governments of the world went back to their normal petty squabbles and started creating more and more deadly Jaegers to keep each other at bay. The world would not be united (or prepared for the second onslaught of Kaiju) and we could see some pretty cool Jaeger v.s. Jaeger battles in the opening section of the film leading up to the title crawl.

Having the countries not be a united front whenever the new rift(s?) start popping out Kaiju would really help all the pilots start from square one, as well as, give some interesting opportunities for character interaction and development. Yes, you did read that right, I said that I would like multiple rifts to appear in this film. I want to see a full on invasion of Kaiju from the aliens this time around. In the last film, most of the monsters shown were just scouts, and when Gypsy Danger entered the alien world you could see millions of Kaiju waiting to be sent through the Rift. Now, I'm not saying that I want to see that many, but I think you get the general idea. The world must be forced to reunite and stand together against the insurmountable horde of Kaiju that would be able to appear.
 

THE CHARACTERS: OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Obviously, I would like to see most of the surviving members of the cast from the original 'Pacific Rim' return in some form or another, but that does not mean the main characters, Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), should be the protagonists of this film. I would love to see a new set of Jaeger pilots that look up to Raleigh and Mako as legendary heroes and who would unite behind a rebuilt Gypsy Danger in the third act. Give me a new group that all have personal motivations and interesting dynamics that make me care when some of them eventually bite the dust. The biggest failing of the first film is that you barely get any time devoted to the other Jaeger teams, and thus, in the big battle with the Kaiju Otachi and Leatherback, most viewers have a hard time caring when two of the four last remaining Jaegers are destroyed in an instant.

I definitely think that the two scientists, Geiszler (Charile Day) and Gottlieb (Burn Gorman), should be given as much screen time as possible. The interplay between these two characters were some of the best parts of the original film and it would be great to see their friendship grow. There was a rumor for 'Pacific Rim: Maelstrom' that a half Jaeger/half Kaiju was going to appear, and I believe that these two characters would be a great team to pilot the monstrosity. We know they are drift compatible, and I can already imagine the jokes passing between the two, as they attempt to fight a Kaiju.
 

THE KAIJU: ALL THE REFERENCES!

 Most of the Kaiju in the original film use design elements from popular movie monsters of the past (Knifehead looks straight out of a Gamera film). I would hope that they keep this trend going in the sequel and even create a few Kaiju that are even closer to their heritage in design and abilities. Wouldn't it be mind-blowing if we ran into two "Category 5" Kaiju that look kind of similar to Godzilla and Gamera? Speaking of the category system from the first film, I would like to see an escalation of powerful Kaiju that eventually leads to a, previously unheard of, "Category 6" Kaiju that is basically a planet destroyer. When the aliens realize that they cannot take over the planet, they simply send a "Category 6" Kaiju to destroy it (if we cannot have it, then no one can). This could be brought into the plot naturally through Geiszler and Gottlieb drifting with the Kaiju-Jaeger hybrid to help destroy it alongside the newly rebuilt Gypsy Danger. A modern 'Destroy All Monsters,' if you will.
 

THE JAEGERS: ADAPTING TO THE NEW WORLD

Continuing my original idea that the Jaegers are now being built as deterrents instead of used to fight Kaiju, I would like to see it reflected in the design elements of the new Jaegers. Bring back Gypsy Danger, but give it some new abilities like a larger sword and/or some sort of propulsion system to make it able to move faster. Also, I feel like a four-legged artillery Jaeger could lead to some pretty intense sequences where Jaegers are defending a coastline against more and more incoming enemies. I think, just like the Kaiju, you should simply look at the history of giant robots for a lot of the design elements. Del Toro pulled design elements from things like 'Mobile Suit Gundam' and 'Evangelion' for the Jaeger designs in the first film, and those two series alone have so many details they could borrow for revamped mechs. Maybe a Metal Gear Rex like design with a huge rail gun? Just my personal wishful thinking.
 

FINAL THOUGHTS: DIRECTION AND STYLE ARE KEY

Steven S. DeKnight has not really worked on anything of this scale in his career as of yet, and it would be nice to see him make a name for himself with this movie. Obviously, he has a hard road ahead of him, since he is taking over the reigns from one of the most visionary filmmakers of our time and it will be tough to match Del Toro's unique style. I think DeKnight really should try to add his own flair to the film visually, and definitely set a different tone for the film from what's already been done. I'm not saying they should get rid of the campiness (since that is basically what sets this series apart from Legendary's Godzillaverse), but maybe tone it down a bit for the sequel and try to keep everything fresh. Interesting characters also need to step into the spotlight and we need to care about them this time around. All of them.

Overall, I think a sequel in the Pacific Rim universe has plenty to pull from, since Del Toro really created a unique and interesting world with the first film. Do not shy away from what made the original a fun time, but definitely try avoiding some issues the first film had (again, weak characters and lengthy exposition dumps).

Are you excited to see the apocalypse happen again? What do you want to see in the new film? 

'Pacific Rim 2' Drifts With 'Jurassic World' And 'Kong: Skull Island' Screenwriter Derek Connolly

After the departure of Guillermo del Toro as director and the hiring of Stephen DeKnight to take his place, fans have been hanging on every new piece of news regarding the upcoming sequel to 2013's cult favorite monster mash. Now, The Hollywood Reporter is exclusively announcing that 'Pacific Rim 2' has found a new screenwriter.

Derek Connolly has been hired to take over the reigns from previous draft's writers del Toro himself, Zak Penn, and John Spaihts. He is mostly known for his work as a co-writer on 'Jurassic World' along with director Colin Treverrow and has apparently impressed Legendary with his work on 'Kong: Skull Island' as well. He got his break in the industry co-writing Treverrow's first film 'Safety Not Guarenteed,' and has recently worked on 'Jurassic World 2' and a sci-fi drama for Dreamworks titled 'Intelligent Life.'

Plot details for the 'Pacific Rim' follow-up are scarce, but rumor is that it will take place years after the original with the giant pilot-controlled mechs called Jaegers being much more commonplace. Similar to the flashback scenes in the first film when they first started successfully pushing back the Kaiju threat. It is unclear whether this newly hired scribe is being brought in for revisions or a page one rewrite.

Connolly is definitely making a name for himself in the giant monster genre, and I'm personally looking forward to pretty much every film he's been a part of at this point. Hopefully the studio's confidence in him is proof that he's knocking it out of the park.