It seems that Guillermo del Toro was correct after all; Pacific Rim 2 appears to be moving forward. What he neglected to tell us was that he may not be directing—Assuming he knew that possibility was in the cards at all.
According to Deadline's exclusive, Steven S. DeKnight, best known as the creator for Spartacus and show runner for the first season of Netflix's Daredevil, will make his feature film debut with the kaiju clobbering sequel. The report also reveals that the latest draft of the film was penned by Jon Sphaits. Sphaits is best known for his early draft of Prometheus (2012) which was later re-written by Damon Lindelof. More recently, Sphaits has worked on Marvel's upcoming Doctor Strange and has been tapped for Universal's The Mummy reboot.
Guillermo del Toro will remain onboard as an executive producer with Thomas Tull and Universal is dedicated to releasing the movie. (In 3D of course.) The question is, why did del Toro step down? Did he decide to commit to other projects or did studio pressure boot him out of the director's chair in favor of something more mainstream?
Guillermo del Toro seems to be enthusiastic regardless. Just recently, on Twitter, the creator of Pacific Rim noted his excitment about DeKnight coming onboard and claimed, "we are all so happy with our choice to take Pac Rim 2to where we know it can go!!"
Will DeKnight be a suitable replacement for del Toro? A first-time, feature-film director taking on a project this big isn't necessarily unheard of, but after del Toro's masterful eye and genuine passion for the genre, a Pacific Rim sequel by someone else seems like a hollow victory. Time will tell if the same love and passion will be injected in the sequel.
What do you think? Are you happy a sequel is being made regardless? Or would you rather it not move forward without del Toro in the director's chair? Are you still excited to see the follow-up? Let us know in the comments below.
According to del Toro's twitter account, "More news soon! But- as I said a few weeks ago: this is happening and the ideas we have are great!!" Stay tuned for more as this story develops.
--
Sources:
Deadline
Guillermo del Toro's Twitter Account
Pacific Rim Uprising March 23rd, 2018
More about Pacific Rim Uprising (movie)
Steven S. DeKnight is set to direct Legendary's PACIFIC RIM 2 (Pacific Rim Uprising), the follow-up to the epic action-adventure Guillermo del Toro created with 2013's hit original film, with a script penned by Zak Penn, Jon Spaights and del Toro. The producers are Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, del Toro, Mary Parent and Callum Greene. Jillian Share will executive produce. Universal Pictures will release the film worldwide in 3D.
Directed by Steven S. DeKnight, Pacific Rim Uprising's release date is March 23rd, 2018.
Stay up to date with the latest news on Pacific Rim Uprising by liking Scified on Facebook and by following us on Twitter and Instagram! Also, consider subscribing your email to our Pacific Rim blog for instant notifications of when new posts are made!
Treat Yourself to Sci-Fi Swag!
We've partnered with the folks at TeePublic to give fans the opportunity to support one another and express their interests by owning customized, unique merchandise based on their favorite science fiction franchises! Designs are created by fans and a portion of proceeds from each sale go to supporting the artists and their work! Check out the entire store and see if anything gets your attention!
