Pacific Rim 2 had a rough time even before the very first day of its filming. Namely, Guillermo del Toro, who was initially reported directing the movie, decided to leave due to the slow pace of production development. Thus the film was in dire need of someone to take over control. Eventually, Steven S. DeKnight, known as the showrunner of TV series Daredevil Season 1 and as the creator of Spartacus, was appointed as Del Toro’s replacement, who instead went on working on a faster-developing project (The Shape of Water).
Ever since this problem was solved, conditions for Pacific Rim sequel development have been considerably improved. Derek Connolly, known for Jurassic World (2015), has undertaken the responsibility of rewriting the movie’s script, while Finn from 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, John Boyega, is likely to play the son of Stacker Pentecost (who was played by Idris Elba in the first part).
The dilemma about the title of the upcoming sequel was finally resolved when Boyega posted a picture of his script with the title “Pacific Rim: Maelstrom” on its cover.
Unfortunately, no specific details about the plot have been revealed yet. Therefore, we cannot say for sure what del Toro’s ideas will find their way to the sequel, for all we know at the time, DeKnight might as well exclude all of them. You should also expect some new characters, in addition to the old survivors. However, not all of the former characters will appear in the sequel. Apart from Stacker Pentecost, who died in Pacific Rim, we are not sure whether we’ll see Ralegh Becket either, for Charlie Hunnam has announced he will not play that role, and we still know nothing about his replacement. Furthermore, Rinko Kikuchi, who is supposed to return as Mako Mori, has not confirmed this information.
Finally, it should be mentioned that some of the newcomers are the following: Caliee Spaeny, an actress and a pop singer, Levi Meaden (Aftermath), Scott Eastwood, an actor and a model known for Suicide Squad (2016), Adria Arjona (True Detective) and Jian Tian, who will also star Kong: Skull Island.
With the new director and new cast members, Pacific Rim: Maelstorm is hoped to be at least as successful as the original film. We believe it will undoubtedly live up to fans expectations.
