One of the most unexpectedly brilliant films of last year, the action/sci-fi movie Pacific Rim was essentially a Transformers Vs. Godzilla movie and, as daft as that sounds, it was indescribably fun, the epitome of everything a popcorn movie should be, and nothing if not exciting. Yet fans of the first movie have even more of a reason to be excited now, as writer/director Guillermo del Toro has just confirmed a Pacific Rim 2 release date; currently scheduled in for April 7th 2017.
Releasing the news via a video statement (which can be viewed below) Guillermo had further news regarding the Pacific Rim universe; stating that not only is he working on the second film with Zak Penn (the writer with story credits ranging from the Last Action Hero to The Avengers), but original writer Travis Beacham will also be involved, the comic book series will be continuing, and he’s also working on developing a new animated series set in the world of giant monsters fighting giant robots.
Speaking to BuzzFeed del Toro has also stated that “the characters I love will return”, meaning “Raleigh, Mako, Newt, Gottlieb and who knows, maybe even Hannibal Chau” could be back, but taken “into a fresh territory that will display amazing sights and battles” as “the first film set the stage and now we’re ready to have a blast.”
So far there are no official deals with any cast members (new or old), but given it’ll be another three years before we see Pacific Rim 2 released on the big screen, there’s plenty of chance to lock down Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, and hopefully Ron Perlman, for a second helping of Jaeger Vs. Kaiju action.
Matt Wheeldon – @TheMattWheeldon.
Sources: Legendary, BuzzFeed.
