Son of Stacker: John Boyega on taking 'Pacific Rim' reins from Idris Elba
Idris Elba famously canceled the apocalypse as Jaeger-meister Gen. Stacker Pentecost in the 2013 robot-monster clash Pacific Rim, but unfortunately didn’t survive the cancellation.
Inheriting the Earth-protecting reins in the new sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising, is his rebellious son Jake, played by Star Wars star John Boyega. The pair now share a series (never scenes), but the casting is a coup: Both are handsome black Brits with charisma to spare.
And Elba, Boyega told Yahoo Entertainment, is exactly what (who) got him interested in the series in the first place. “He was the one who brought me to Pacific Rim,” Boyega said (watch above). “Seeing him in the full Drivesuit, especially after seeing him in The Wire, was just a treat.”
Boyega, who is also a producer on the action film, said his fellow London native contacted him after it was announced he’d take on Son of Stacker. “He sent a nice message to me and my producing partner [Femi Oguns],” Boyega said. “Just wishing us congratulations and best of luck on the journey, which is nice to get.”
The 26-year-old best known for playing Finn in The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017) said he did spend time studying Elba’s performance in the first Rim film, but at the same time, Jake has a more rebellious edge than the stoic Stacker. Jake is trafficking in stolen parts at the onset of Uprising before he reluctantly joins the Pan Pacific Defense Corps.
“Jake is obviously molded up from his circumstances, and his circumstances are much different than Stacker’s,” he explained. “So Jake definitely has his own individual flair, but he is his father’s son.
“So there is that gravity that Idris has, that command. I wanted people to see that and be like, ‘That’s Stacker’s boy!’”
Pacific Rim Uprising opens Friday.
Watch Boyega answer some burning Star Wars questions:
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