With the Pacific Rim Uprising on the horizon, and the first trailer officially releasing, it’s natural to wonder what could have been with this franchise. After all, the series was originally Guillermo del Toro’s pet-project, and has since undergone some significant changes.
Now, Guillermo del Toro has talked about his original plans for the sequel previously, and recently, while talking to KCWR, the director was asked if he’s involved in Pacific Rim Uprising in any way, shape, or form. This was his response:
“I prepped my version of Pacific Rim 2. I developed the screenplay, I storyboarded the creatures and the robots on that, and then that suspension of six months … I left, and helped select the new director, and that’s about it.”
Honestly, it’s pretty evident that del Toro has had little to do with Pacific Rim Uprising. Watching the trailer, the film feels far more ‘action-ey’; dare I say Transformers-eque? The first film felt like a dumb popcorn-flick handled by a master. This one feels like… well, standard big-budget fare. The reason may boil down to China’s Dalian Wanda Group Co., Ltd. acquiring Legendary Pictures, and also a more aggressive attempt to tap into that ever-important Chinese market. Given the lukewarm reception to Transformers: The Last Knight in Mainland China, it feels like Pacific Rim Uprising is prepping to become the ‘new’ Transformers.
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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 sees Steven S. DeKnight (Daredevil) directing a cast that includes John Boyega (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Adria Arjona (True Detective), Scott Eastwood (Suicide Squad), Cailee Spaeny (Counting to 1,000), Levi Meaden (Aftermath), Karan Brar (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Nick Tarabay (Spartacus), Zhang Jin (Ip Man 3), Mackenyu (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) and Jing Tian (Police Story: Lockdown), while Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day and Burn Gorman reprise their roles from the first film. It is set for release on March 23rd 2018.
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Originally published January 4, 2018. Updated December 19, 2019.
