What an eventful few weeks we've had as sci-fi movie fans! With a number of long weekends, holidays and many of our readers in school or at work, it's hard to stay on top of all the latest happenings with your favorite movie franchises. So, today for this segment of Scified Weekly we're covering the biggest news stories which debuted over the last couple weeks. From Pacific Rim 2 to Alien: Paradise Lost and everything in between. Get caught up and enjoy!
Pacific Rim 2 has a script and a budget, just waiting on a greenlight.
Starting off this roundup, we have the news which left many of worried that the sequel to Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim was going to be delayed indefinitely. Universal, the studio which will be distributing the Legendary Picture's property now, announced that the project had been delayed and moved from its initial August 2017 release date in favor of a third Pitch Perfect movie. This obviously didn't settle well with fans, but the reasoning (at least on paper) for the switch, was to give the creative team ample time to prepare in order to ensure Pacific Rim 2, dubbed Maelstrom, would be a huge success at the box office. Production was initially supposed to begin on Pacific Rim 2: Maelstrom next month in Toronto, Ontario, but this is clearly no longer the case.
Reviving some hope and excitement following the announcement, director Guillermo del Toro took to his newly created Twitter account to assure fans that the script for Maelstrom has been completed, with final edits being made by Prometheus' original scribe Jon Spaihts. He also confirmed they had a budget ready and were simply awaiting the studio greenlight to begin production. Del Toro also revealed that the sequel would be going a "very different route" than the first film did, with an emphasis on daylight fight scenes to give the Mechs and Kaiju even more detail.
The take-away? Pacific Rim 2: Maelstrom is happening. The only question now, is when.
GAAAAMMMMERRRRRAAAA!
Yes, the guardian of the universe, Gamera is back! With the Kaiju movement making a major comeback in both west and eastern cultures, the Gyaos frying savior has returned in his own, epic new movie! At New York Comic-Con last week, the first trailer for the upcoming Gamera film was released, showing a much updated look to the iconic Kaiju - primarily due to a higher emphasis on CGI over suitmation. However, we've heard that the new film will include both CGI and suitmation, like the upcoming Godzilla (2016) film by Toho. Be sure to check out the new Gamera (2015) movie trailer here!
Alien 5 will release sometime in 2017!
Switching gears, fans of Alien were thrilled to hear that Neill Blomkamp's venture into the Xeno-infested franchise would be hitting theaters in just 2 short years! Some feel 2017 is a long wait, but considering Ridley Scott's Prometheus sequel, Alien: Paradise Lost needs to release before Alien 5, it really isn't that mich of a wait - fans will get their fix twice in one year!
Alien: Paradise Lost eyeing new cast and filming this January!
On the topic of Alien, it was revealed that Ridley Scott was planning to begin shooting for Alien: Paradise Lost, his highly anticipated Prometheus sequel, this January (2016) in Australia! During his press tours for The Martian, Scott was very relaxed with details about his upcoming Alien soiree, revealing that the film would be introducing us to a new group of travelers. In a more recent update, it's also been revealed that Scott and company may be eyeing Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible) for a "strong female role" in Alien: Paradise Lost.
East vs. West - Godzilla vs. King Kong - Rematch - 2020!
Circling back to the Kaiju movement, this week's massive story has been the announcement of a new Godzilla vs. King Kong movie, which will see the teaming up of both Warner Brothers, Legendary Pictures and Universal Studios! This massive joint effort initially had fans worried that the porject would never make its way out of the boardroom, but as of last night, Legendary made the official announcement!
Godzilla vs. Kong will release in 2020, following Legendary's Godzilla 2, which will feature the other iconic Kaiju such as King Ghidorah, Mothra and Rodan.
Be sure to check back next week and keep an eye on Scified for constant updates on your favorite upcoming sci-fi movies!
