In exactly two month’s time, prepare for more Jaegers vs. Kaiju action with the release of Pacific Rim Uprising, the sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s moderately successful 2013 blockbuster, Pacific Rim. To get audiences ready for the next installment in the franchise, which has generally stayed under-the-radar since the first trailer debuted in October at New York Comic Con, Universal Pictures and Legendary have unveiled a brand new poster featuring a squad of sword and gun-wielding Jaegers, under a tagline that reads “Rise Up”…
The one-sheet comes online ahead of the film’s second trailer, which Universal and Legendary will reveal tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 8 a.m. PT.
In a month of attention-grabbing, highly anticipated blockbusters, including A Wrinkle in Time, Tomb Raider and Ready Player One, Uprising runs the risk of getting lost in the shuffle. So far, the hype surrounding its release remains fairly weak, but an exciting trailer can certainly change that, or at least change the minds of the numerous skeptics who aren’t entirely sold yet.
Given the film’s reported $150 million budget, there’s no denying that it faces an uphill climb; however, a box office performance on par with Pacific Rim’s $411 million worldwide (on a $190 million budget), would be a win and isn’t totally outside the realm of possibility.
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.
Originally published January 23, 2018. Updated April 18, 2018.
