You DEFINITELY Won't Be Seeing 'Pacific Rim 2' Anytime Soon
Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim sequel is starting to appear further and further in the distance.
Universal announced on Tuesday that the follow-up to the Mexican director’s 2013 battling-’bot blockbuster was being pushed back off its April 2017 release date, and that it would be “redated at a later time.” The announcement comes several weeks after The Hollywood Reporter reported that the sequel was being pushed back indefinitely, and might eventually get canceled.
Universal put a positive spin on Tuesday’s announcement, writing in its press statement that, “The filmmakers, [co-producers] Legendary and Universal Pictures are committed to having Pacific Rim 2… be the vanguard, fully-immersive experience that the franchise deserves” and that the delay was done so that “the creative team can continue in its efforts to exceed the amazing experience of the first film.”
The first Pacific Rim, which featured a war between giant robots and alien invaders, cost $180 million but made only $101 million in the United States. It did much better overseas, with $309 million foreign box office take, including $112 million in China.
In a Variety cover story that was also released on Tuesday, del Toro sounded confident that the sequel, which would return stars Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi, would eventually get made.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s not cancelled, just postponed,” del Toro says. “Right now, we have to put a budget and screenplay together, present it to Universal and Legendary, and they will make a decision.
At this July’s San Diego Comic-Con, del Toro told Yahoo Movies that the movie would begin shooting in November. You can watch that video below:
