'Pacific Rim: Uprising' Final Trailer - So It's Treason Then?

Looks like we're are all in for a world of hurt. Someone on this side of the breach has betrayed us and it's up to Jake Pentecost to save us all from ruin. Check out the action packed final trailer for 'Pacific Rim: Uprising'!

Well that certainly looks like a blast! There certainly is a lot to digest in this trailer including the fact that I was right about the Kaiju-ized Jaegers. Crazy stuff! 

They also released a snazzy new poster to go along with the trailer.

What do you guys think of the new trailer? Did it up your hype levels to maximum?

'Pacific Rim: Uprising' - Plot Synopsis and First Look at New Kaiju!

Well looks like we are gearing up for a great New York Comic Con! Ahead of the official trailer release on friday at the Con, Legendary has started up the viral marketing machine and also given us a great plot synopsis. Check it out!

First up let's talk about the plot breakdown! So it turns out they decided to confirm a returning character and also give us a better idea of John Boyega's character. This is the type of synopsis you would see on imdb page so don't worry about spoilers.

The globe-spanning conflict between otherworldly monsters of mass destruction and the human-piloted super-machines built to vanquish them was only a prelude to the all-out assault on humanity in Pacific Rim Uprising.

John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) stars as the rebellious Jake Pentecost, a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous “Kaiju.” Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi)—who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war. As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction.

Jake is joined by gifted rival pilot Lambert (The Fate of the Furious’ Scott Eastwood) and 15-year-old Jaeger hacker Amara (newcomer Cailee Spaeny), as the heroes of the PPDC become the only family he has left. Rising up to become the most powerful defense force to ever walk the earth, they will set course for a spectacular all-new adventure on a towering scale.

Pacific Rim Uprising is directed by Steven S. DeKnight (Netflix’s Daredevil, STARZ’s Spartacus) and also stars Jing Tian, Burn Gorman, Adria Arjona and Charlie Day.

Mako's back!! Also they really seem to be building up the new Kaiju to be huge and "unstoppable." Speaking of Kaiju...

The viral marketing site gojaeger.com updated earlier today with a keypad asking for a passcode. Intrepid investigators on the web figured out that if you type in the numbers 65*789 it will make sounds that line up with the main theme song of the original film. The locked page reveals itself to be a countdown to the release of the trailer on friday but there are three surprises hidden in the countdown if you wait long enough. Brief glitchy pictures of Kaiju come through and oh boy are they cool!

Some sort of Kaiju with manadbles

Perfect Chaos from Sonic Adventure is that you?

Getting some Godzilla-ish vibes from this last one

Also we talked about the posters on the cast but I realized that we never actually posted them for all of you to see (in case you missed them).

What do you guys think about all of this? Look forward to us talking about the new trailer as soon as it available on friday afternoon!

Pushin’ ‘em for Summer Slam: Legendary Reveals The New Jaegers of 'Pacific Rim Uprising'!

Well ladies and gentleman, I’ve stopped squealing long enough to tell you all some wonderful news: Legendary has seen fit to finally show us the real stars of the upcoming Pacific Rim: Uprising.

Three of them even! I thought for sure we’d only get one as a little teaser once we got closer to the release date, but luckily I’m always wrong! Even though it's only one picture of what looks like concept art, they all look like extras from Super Robot Wars and I, for one, am thrilled. Let’s get to speculatin’!

This one is clearly a direct upgrade of Gypsy Danger, the main hero mech of the first movie. She’s a little sleeker, a little less top heavy, and I think a little less cartoony than Gypsy 1 (anime-looking, sure, but not as cartoony).

This skinny jim looks to be the quick striker of the group. I’m hoping that fin on the back means some kind of booster for Gundam-esque darting around. Big Red seems to be an analogue of Striker Eureka, the scrappy little Australian mech with the chest missiles and knuckle blades, and my second favorite mech in the movie.

This one’s my favorite. Let’s call her Zarya. She looks like a big slugger in the same vein as Cherno Alpha, Russia’s hulking, concrete garbage can. What’s really intriguing is what looks like a second cockpit in her abdomen. I have no idea what exactly that could mean, but a four person Jaeger sounds rad. As much as I love a good punch, a grappling mech would be a fun change of pace. And Rob and I would have a field day with Wrestlemania references.

So there they are. After seeing the pictures of John Boyega on set I was excited, but with these three I’ve officially crossed over into Fully Hyped. I can’t wait to gush about new pictures and promos until Uprising smashes into theaters on February 28 next year.

Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? Don’t feel anything? I’m sorry to hear that, let’s talk about it in the comments.

New 'Godzilla 2' and 'Pacific Rim: Maelstrom' Titles Revealed!

In a shocking turn of events, Legendary Pictures revealed the new titles for the hotly anticipated sequels to 'Godzilla' and 'Pacific Rim' in a hirinmg announcement press release. This is definitely an unorthodox way of making an announcement and could mean these new titles are simply working titles but this is still exciting.

Here is the press release in full:

Legendary today announced the hiring of three veteran production executives to its feature film operations including Herbert W. Gains, who has been named EVP of Physical Production, Valerie Flueger Veras who has been named SVP of Post- Production and Sara Flamm who will take on the SVP Physical Production role. The new additions were announced by Mary Parent, Legendary’s Vice Chairman of Worldwide Production.

“Herb comes to us with a tremendous body of experience working alongside some of the most prolific filmmakers in our industry,” said Parent. “His strong business acumen and commitment to supporting the vision of storytellers with preeminent production resources makes him an excellent complement to our team here at Legendary.” Gains will report directly to Parent, effective immediately.

Best known for his work as Executive Producer on such films as Warner Bros’ The Judge and Watchmen, as well as the recently released Jack Reacher: Never Go Back from Paramount, Gains’ responsibilities will include overseeing production of Legendary’s feature film slate including such highly anticipated projects as Pacific Rim: Uprising, Pokemon’s Detective Pikachu and Godzilla: King of Monsters. Gains will also work closely with the post-production team insuring that the filmmaker’s vision remains intact through production to final distribution.

“I’m extremely gratified to be entrusted with this unique opportunity,” said Gains. “Legendary’s evolution over the past decade has been nothing short of remarkable. I am proud to take a key role in the company’s continued growth in feature film production and excited by the potential of its established franchises and the diverse slate of films currently in development.”

Reporting to Gains at Legendary, is Valerie Flueger Veras, who will assume the role of SVP of Post-Production. “I have had the good fortune of working closely with Valerie on multiple films over the last few years,” said Parent. “She brings experience from all aspects of filmmaking to the post-production process and really understands how to support filmmakers whether they are making an intimate character drama or a big VFX driven tentpole.”

Flueger Veras is a seasoned executive who has lead the post-production efforts on some of the most critically-acclaimed films of the last decade including Oscar-nominated feature films, The Revenant, Selma and Nebraska. As SVP of Post-Production, Flueger Veras will immediately begin overseeing post on the upcoming Spring action film, Kong: Skull Island.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Legendary,” said Flueger Veras. “In addition to having an opportunity to re-team with Mary Parent who I have long respected, I am extremely excited to be working alongside such an imaginative and highly respected team of professionals and can’t wait to dive in on this truly iconic slate of films.”

Rounding out Legendary’s production team is Sara Flamm, who will step into the SVP of Physical Production role and will also report to Gains. “Sara brings with her a wealth of experience working on the types of genre films that Legendary is best known for,” said Parent. “We’re excited to be adding her expertise to this skilled new team.”

Most recently Flamm worked alongside Gains as Unit Production Manager on on Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and the upcoming film Geostorm. She has also worked as Production Supervisor on numerous hit films including The Judge as well as comic adaptations, Green Lantern and Legendary’s own Watchmen. In Flamm’s new role she has already begun work on the production of Pacific Rim: Uprising, currently shooting in Australia.

“Having worked with Legendary in the past, I’ve long admired their focus on delivering a truly elevated cinematic experience to their audiences,” said Flamm. They’ve had an incredible history of blockbuster films, and I’m looking forward to being a part of this team’s continued success.”

Did you catch them in that wall of text? If not it appears that 'Pacifc Rim: Uprising' is our new title instead of Maelstrom and the temporary title of 'Godzilla 2'  has been replaced by the much cooler sounding 'Godzilla: King of Monsters'.

I'm not a big fan of the new Pacific Rim title since Maelstrom was such a unique name but I guess I'll just have to get used to it.  'Godzilla: King of Monsters' on the other hand is awesome! It's a nice call back to the americanization of the orginal 'Gojira' and I think it will be a very buzz worthy name that will get alot of attention. As I said above it is quite possible that these are both still working titles so take them with a grain of salt until we see them on some official marketing materials.

What do you think of the new titles?

'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.