The future of the Pacific Rim universe has been nebulous at best. The question of whether the kaiju will return is one that has needed answering both in universe and out of it. News today indicates that the answer to that question is undoubtedly yes.
The future of Pac Rim has taken a huge, mech-suit, step forward. The movie not only has a production timeline, set to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, but has announced some pretty big casting news. John Boyega, star of “Attack the Block” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has been cast in the lead role as the son of Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba).
Pac Rim 2 will be directed by Steven S. DeKnight, best known for creating the Starz series “Spartacus” so we at least know he knows how to handle brutal fight scenes and action sequences.
There is little known about the plot of the second Pac Rim installment but creator Guillermo Del Toro has indicated that the sequel will take place a few years after the events of the first film. There potential for character development following the death of Pentecost is staggering. What can we expect from a young character dealing with the death of his father at the hands of interdimensional monsters? Until there is more official word as to the plot we can only speculate about what it means that the son of Pentecost is taking a leading role.
It harkens to the plot of the upcoming “Independence Day” sequel wherein the son of Will Smith’s character Captain Steven Hiller, is taking up the reigns to fight the returning alien menace as well as the current run of the Star Wars franchise, both of which follow a new generation of characters taking up the reigns of an existing universe.
There’s no question that Boyega is a rising action/adventure star and putting him in the pilot seat of a Jaeger will only serve to cement his place in the annals of sci-fi history.
“I am very proud and happy to welcome John into a fantastic sandbox. The Pacific Rim universe will be reinforced with him as a leading man as it continues to be a multicultural, multi-layered world. ‘The World saving the world’ was our goal and I couldn’t think of a better man for the job.” stated del Toro.
“Pacific Rim 2” is currently set to hit theaters sometime next year.