Director Guillermo del Toro is currently putting together the script for PACIFIC RIM 2 and has generously shared some details about the upcoming sequel with the world. The last we heard production was to being in late 2015 and there is even the possibility of a third movie. When it comes to the plot for PR2 however, that’s where things get a little foggy. To help clear things up on the different direction he’s taking with the sequel, del Toro has provided some insight on what we can expect.
While promoting the DVD and Blu-ray release of The Strain Season 1, the director told Collider that the movie begins a few years after the end of the first movie:
It’s a few years after the first one. It’s not an immediate follow-up. It is the world having been freed of Kaiju, what happens to the world after – what happens to the Jaeger technology once the Kaiju are not a threat. It’s quite a jump.
He also explained that two of our favorite movie scientists are back, and it sounds like he couldn't be happier:
It’s quite a different movie from the first one in that, but I think that two of our main characters like in the first one are Burn and Charlie. They are really, really – I mean, honestly, they are probably the guys I have the most fun writing along with Hannibal Chau so just from a purely selfish drive, I like writing them. I love writing for Charlie and Burn. I mean, [Burn's] in Crimson Peak for that reason, because I love working with him. You’re gonna get a lot of that, but the Kaijus are very different and you’re gonna see a very different type of the robots I think. It’s gonna be quite a different adventure.
So Charlie Day and Burn Gorman will be back for the sequel, that’s great news. We know some characters from the first film won’t be returning but may show up for a hopeful third installment. Having it as a Kaiju-free world at the beginning seems like a good way to go as well; I can't wait to see what the new Kaijus will offer though and what changes the Jaeger pilots will have to adapt to. I think hopes and expectations are going to be high for PACIFIC RIM 2 and if anyone can meet or beat them, it’s going to be del Toro.
The film should be going into production near the end of 2015 and is set for release on April 7, 2017.
What are your hopes for PACIFIC RIM 2?