Here’s a blast of cold water to the face for you Kaiju fans. In a lengthy and engrossing Hollywood Reporter article about the strains and stresses of the business relationship between Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures, it’s noted ever-so-briefly that Guillermo del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM 2, which has been in the works for over a year, has had the brakes put on it.
Per the article:
… for now the project — which had been ramping up to make a release date in August 2017 — has been halted indefinitely and will be pushed back (if it gets made at all).
This stems from a few things. Apparently the partnership between Legendary and Universal isn’t going very smoothly, thanks to high-cost bombs Legendary made and Universal distributed like SEVENTH SON and BLACK HAT, as well as pricey flicks such as WARCRAFT and THE GREAT WALL that the studio’s concerned about. Add to that tensions between Legendary CEO Thomas Tull and the Universal brass over the former’s recent decision to bring KONG: SKULL ISLAND to Warner Bros. (the studio Legendary used to do business with) and you’ve got a marriage on the rocks.
PACIFIC RIM 2 will obviously cost a pretty penny, and considering the first film didn’t bank all that much loot ($411 million worldwide off a budget of $200 million), there’s no guarantee the sequel will be a blockbuster. There is no specific reason for the film’s halting of production offered in the THR article, but one would have to assume it’s a matter of budget and just how much Universal is willing to shell out. (The studio did not contribute any money towards del Toro’s CRIMSON PEAK, which it is distributing in October; Legendary fully financed.)
I’m sure there’s plenty more to the story, and I’m sure we’ll be getting del Toro’s side very soon. (The CRIMSON PEAK junket is this weekend, so stay tuned.) But for now, you may want to put a question mark on that “PACIFIC RIM 2 COMES OUT” note you scribbled on your 2017 calendar.