When Guillermo Del Toro directed "Pacific Rim," it seemed like he took what was best about "Transformers" and "Godzilla" and threw it together in a huge geek-friendly movie. Many fans wondered when Del Toro would make a sequel, but production was delayed, Del Toro left the product, and then the sequel moved on without him. However, the "Pacific Rim" sequel wrapped production this week and is preparing for a February 2018 release.
The plot of 'Pacific Rim 2'
The first "Pacific Rim" starred Charlie Hunnam as a pilot who was brought in to lead a giant robot built to combat monsters to save the world.
With Guillermo Del Toro out of the picture, Steven S. DeKnight stepped in. Most TV fans know him as the man who was executive producer of "Spartacus" and the showrunner for the Marvel Netflix series "Daredevil." DeKnight also worked on geek-friendly shows like "Smallville," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Angel." It is clear that he has his finger on the pulse of geek culture. However, with Hunnam out, "Star Wars" actor John Boyega ha stepped in as Jake, the son of Idris Elba's character Stacker from the first movie. Of course, Elba is out too since his character died and he is preparing for his long-running role in the Stephen King adaptation of "The Dark Tower." Also joining the cast is Cailee Spaeney and Scott Eastwood, as well as the returning Charlie Day and Rinko Kikuchi.
'Pacific Rim 2' in the new world
The one big problem for "Pacific Rim 2" is not only the loss of Guillermo Del Toro but also the fact that there is a lot more big movies of the same sort with a lot more money behind them. Michael Bay is still making his "Transformers" movies and now Godzilla and King Kong are teaming up in the same movie universe after "Kong: Skull Island" started off the new franchise.
With giant monsters fighting each other, especially when it was as entertaining as it was in "Skull Island," it will make it hard to get excited about a new "Pacific Rim" movie with a new director and a different star in the lead.
