‘Pacific Rim 2’ Film, Updates: Guillermo del Toro Confirms Active Development of Sequel, Addresses Maisie Williams’ Alleged Involvement in New Cast

‘Pacific Rim 2’, otherwise known as ‘Pacific Rim: Maelstrom’, is the sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 science-fiction monster film. The filmmaker is serving as producer in the new film and confirmed that that it is currently in active development. He also addressed reports of Maisie Williams’ involvement in the new film.

According to Comicbook.com, Del Toro made an appearance at the recently concluded New York Comic-Con and shared his enthusiasm over the second installment in the kaiju series. The 52-year old Mexican filmmaker confirmed that the sequel was “active and in progress” before teasing, “there are a couple of huge surprises.” He added, “As a geek, I just get so excited.”

Del Toro directed the first film in the series, which starred Charlie Hunnam in the lead role. According to Box Office Mojo, ‘Pacific Rim’ earned $411 million worldwide against a production budget of $190 million. Despite being deemed a box office disappointement in the United States, it fared well in other territories especially in China.

Hunnam will not be returning to play Raleigh Becket and will be replayed by John Boyega of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ fame as the film’s new protagonist.

Despite exiting the series, Hunnam still shared his excitement for the sequel during an interview at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con. He said, “I read an early draft of what they’re doing… They have a very definite schedule that they have to film because of the politics and business surrounding filmmaking.”

He continued, “Sometimes noncreative decisions will dictate how something unfolds, which seems backwards in the fact that we’re making art, or at least aspiring to make art. It ended up being unfortunately something that we couldn’t remedy, because by the time they got their schedule fully realized then I wasn’t available.”

Hunnam added, “But I think they’re onto something very exciting. It’s a serious, significant progression. It feels like they’re really aspiring to push this thing forward and do something original with the sequel. So it’s cool.” 

It was rumored that Maisie Williams of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ would be joining the new cast alongside Boyega, Max Martini, Scott Eastwood, Adria Arjona, Tian Jing, and Levi Meaden. However, Del Toro clarified that negotiations with the young actress failed due to scheduling conflicts.

According to Empire, the film has added Ukrainian actress Ivanna Sakhno to the new line-up instead. She is known for her work on Ukrainian-language films. Her role in the new film is yet to be known.

‘Pacific Rim 2’, otherwise entitled ‘Pacific Rim: Maelstrom’, is an upcoming science-fiction monster film directed by Steven S. DeKnight. It is produced under Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures. It is set to be released in the United States on February 23, 2018.