The question isn’t whether PACIFIC RIM will top the Top Five Most Anticipated Movies for this site – it’s more about just how long Guillermo Del Toro’s monster-robot-romantic-epic will hold on to that top spot. Wait, did I just say “monster-robot-romantic-epic?” Yes, yes I did. And if you’re curious at all to see why, then make sure to check out these assorted PACIFIC RIM details that have come out of the New York Comic Con along with a few glimpses at PACIFIC RIM-related entries in Guillermo’s infamous sketch/concept notebook.
Considering the spoiler discussion raised earlier today, I should preface that the pictures from his notebook (which you’ll find beneath the text to follow) reveal at least one design of a creature/being/something that has not thus far been spoken of or alluded to (so far as I know). And so now, without further ado: PACIFIC “I DON’T GIVE A F**K” RIM.
– “Guillermo del Toro and screenwriter Travis Beacham were the final panelists who took the stage. Del Toro began by saying he had some bad news and some good news. The bad news was that he had screened a teaser for Pacific Rim at the San Diego Comic Con and he’d been told that he shouldn’t show it again. The effects weren’t complete, the sound was a little off, and ideally they planned on radio silence for any PACIFIC RIM footage until a proper trailer release around December. ‘The good news is I don’t give a f**k,’ del Toro said, and then proceeded to show the Pacific Rim teaser.” Because Guillermo’s a monster boss in the best and most worthy sense of that phrase that I just semi-coined.
– “As for the Jaegers, the giant robots in the film, del Toro explained that there’s a pilot for different hemispheres of the robot and that the pilots are able to feel the pain of the Jaegers when something happens. The monsters and the Jaegers are 25-stories tall, and they used the Golden Gate Bridge in order to fix a scale. Fixing the size of the creatures helped del Toro figure out a budget for the movie so he could work within a reasonable limit without going overboard. Del Toro said, ‘As my pants can show, when I’m given freedom I eat all the doughnuts.’ Del Toro said that PACIFIC RIM was the best filmmaking experience he’s had in his life.”
– “Del Toro said that he wanted to avoid sleek blues in the movie and instead wanted Pacific Rim to have a romantic vision of corrosion. He was looking to make an adventure movie full of romantic imagery (e.g., storms, crashing waves, vibrant colors) and humility. World War II also informed the movie’s look and design. Del Toro prefaced all this by saying he hates that the contemporary dream is to be famous, like ‘Boo Boo whatever the f**k.'”
– PACIFIC RIM’s prequel comics are being guided by “a 1,000-page film Bible for Pacific Rim, which includes a detailed timeline of events, blueprints of all the Jaegers, and much more.” The artists are currently in negotiations.
– Ellen MacLain, of PORTAL fame (she voiced GLADoS), will voice the Jaeger AI for the film.
– “Del Toro mentioned that he’s okay now with the 3D post conversion. He was initially against the idea because of how 3D might affect the scale of the monsters and Jaegers. The studio has given the film the time and the money to make sure that a coversion is done right. Del Toro even gave some difficult scenes to convert to 3D for a test run and was very pleased with the results.” I think this means I should see it in 3D, because del Toro would probably want me to at this point. Ah well. My experience with DREDD 3D wasn’t all that bad, so that’s some comfort I suppose.