Now thatPacific Rim 2has wrapped production, withJohn Boyegasharing a final photo from the set last week, fans are starting the countdown to the first trailer for this action-packed sequel. This follow-up will be quite different from the original in a few different ways, one of which being that originalPacific RimstarCharlie Hunnamwon’t be back as Jaeger pilot Raleigh Beckett. But the biggest difference that may upset most fans is thatGuillermo del Torois not coming back to direct, although he is still on board as a producer. While promoting his new Netflix seriesTrollhunters,Guillermo del Tororevealed exactly why he stepped aside as the director ofPacific Rim: Uprising.
We first reported on thisPacific Rimsequel back in December 2012, just months after the originalPacific Rimopened in theaters, with original writerTravis Beachamcoming back to write the script.Guillermo del Torowould later come aboard to co-write the script in 2014, with a 2017 release date being set and a fall 2015 shoot being planned. Then in the fall of 2015, rumors spread that thePacific Rim sequelwas being canceled altogether, but the sequel was brought back to life, after Legendary was acquired by the Chinese-based Wanda Group. The originalPacific Rimearned more in China than in any other market, including the U.S., but while this acquisition lead to the sequel finally happening, it also lead to a big delay that hadGuillermo del Toroleaving the director’s chair. Here’s what the filmmaker had to say in an interview with Collider about why he dropped out of directingPacific Rim 2.
“The timing started to suck. I had this little movie that I wanted to do,The Shape of Water, very, very much. At one point it wasJustice League DarkorPacific Rim, I said, ‘Let’s go to Pacific Rim.’ The reality is they said, ‘We’re gonna need to postpone,’ because they were changing hands. Legendary was going to be sold to China, to a Chinese company [called the Wanda Group]. They said, ‘We’ve gotta wait nine months’ and I said, ‘I’m not waiting nine months, I’m shooting a movie,’ and I went and shotThe Shape of Waterand we choseSteven DeKnight.”
Steven S. DeKnightwas announced as the new director back in February 2016, withJurassic WorldwriterDerek Connollycoming aboard to work on the script, although he currently isn’t credited as a writer on the project. While this could very well change as we get closer to the July 31, 2025 release date,Guillermo del Torocurrently has a story credit on the sequel, withSteven S. DeKnight,Emily Carmichael(The Adventures of Ledo and Ix),T.S. Nowlin(The Maze Runnertrilogy) andKira Snyder(The 100). When asked about how much of his script is still in the movie,Guillermo del Torohad this to say, while adding that the movie is “doing great.”
“It’s going great. I see dailies every day, I see early cuts, I see teasers. They’re doing great. It lets him have his style, lets him have his notion of the characters. I wrote a screenplay, developed two or three drafts of that screenplay, this is different than what I developed, and I’m OK. A producer is in the corner, the director is in the ring. The producer’s not getting the punches, the director is, so shut up, wait in the corner, refresh the towel and wait for the director to come to you.”
AfterSteven S. DeKnightwas chosen as the director, the cast started coming into place, withJohn Boyega,Scott Eastwood,Cailee Spaeny,Levi Meaden,Tian JingandKevin Kagocoming aboard to star. While no originalPacific Rimcast members have been confirmed, a set photo teased that originalPacific RimstarsRinko Kikuchi(Mako Mori),Charlie Day(Newton Geisler) andBurn Gorman(Gottlieb) were returning, alongside a previously-unannounced new cast memberKarl Urban. While those cast members still haven’t been confirmed yet,Guillermo del Torospoke about whySteven S. DeKnightwas the perfect choice for the sequel.
“It was such a great choice. I mean I love [DeKnight], love what he does, I think he’s really brilliant. He’s making it his own. I’m not breathing over his shoulder saying, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing?’ He’s doing things differently and I like that. When I produce I attempt to produce the way I would like to be produced. I say to everyone I produce, ‘If you need me I will be there 100% all the time. If you don’t need me, I’m not there. You show me the cut then we’ll start interacting.”
Legendary has issued a June 26, 2025 release date forPacific Rim: Uprising, which was once believed to be titledPacific Rim: Maelstrom.Pacific Rim: Uprisingdoesn’t have any direct competition on June 20, 2025, but it will come between Marvel’s superhero adventureBlack Pantheron February 16 and Warner Bros.’ shark thrillerMegon March 2. The originalPacific Rim movieonly earned $101 million at the domestic box office, but it earned $411 million worldwide, with $111.9 million coming from China alone, the largest gross from any country during its theatrical release. Now that production has wrapped, hopefully we’ll get to see the first trailer sooner rather than later.
