Guillermo del Toro typically doesn't choose a project unless it's something he's very passionate about, and, given that he seems to be quite invested in the world of PACIFIC RIM, it was a little bit of a surprise when he chose not to take the helm of the sequel. Steven DeKnight (Spartacus) wound up directing what would become PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING, but Guillermo del Toro recently spoke with Collider about why he didn't take the job himself
The timing started to suck. I had this little movie that I wanted to do—The Shape of Water—very, very much. At one point it was Justice League Dark or Pacific Rim, I said, ‘Let’s go to Pacific Rim.’ The reality is they said, ‘We’re gonna need to postpone,’ because they were changing hands—Legendary was going to be sold to China, to a Chinese company [called the Wanda Group]. They said, ‘We’ve gotta wait nine months’ and I said, ‘I’m not waiting nine months, I’m shooting a movie,’ and I went and shot [The Shape of Water] and we chose Steven DeKnight.
After the frequent delays which PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING experienced, apparently even being shelved entirely at one point, it's no surprise that del Toro wasn't willing to wait even longer when he had the chance to tackle something original. Given that PACIFIC RIM is his baby, Guillermo del Toro is obviously still involved with the sequel, but he's making sure to give Steven DeKnight the space he needs in order to make PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING his own. "I try to produce the way I would like to be produced," said del Toro. "I say to everyone I produce, ‘If you need me I will be there 100% all the time. If you don’t need me, I’m not there. You show me the cut then we’ll start interacting."
It was a long road leading up to the PACIFIC RIM sequel finally getting the green-light, during which Guillermo del Toro wrote his own screenplay for the sequel which developed into several drafts. However, once PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING was handed off to Steven DeKnight, it changed into something different to what del Toro originally had in mind, but del Toro seems pleased with what he's seen so far, saying "it's going great. It lets him have his style, lets him have his notion of the characters." Production on PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING wrapped up a week ago and is set for a February 23, 2018 release.