It is always a worry when the director of a film doesn’t return for its sequel, especially when the plan was always to expand the original into a franchise. That’s exactly how “Pacific Rim” fans felt when it was announced that Guillermo del Toro wouldn’t be returning to write and direct its follow-up, and would instead just be on-board as a producer.
It only complicated matters that in the immediate aftermath of “Pacific Rim’s” release it was revealed that del Toro had been working on the script for a sequel with Zak Penn, and that he’d agreed to direct the film, too. In February 2016, it was suddenly announced that del Toro would be replaced by Steven DeKnight as director, who then helped to write the new script with Emily Carmichael, Kira Snyder, and T.S. Nowlin.
Of course, fans could at least console themselves with the knowledge that del Toro was still a producer, but there was always a chance he was only in this role simply to link “Uprising” to the original. Earlier this month I had the opportunity to talk to John Boyega, who is both starring in and producing “Uprising,” at New York Comic Con and I asked him straight out just how involved Guillermo del Toro is in the film.
First of all, though, Boyega enthused about just how “fantastic” it was to work so closely with the “Pan’s Labyrinth” director, before then adding, “In the early days he was very involved in the process right up until he had to go away and shoot another film.”
“It was great being given guidance especially on our sequences and different character ideas, and we were in heavy discussions with him. He is one of the producers, too, so all of the dailies and shots would go back to him, too. What was unique about his approach was how open he was to new ideas, and always wanting to move forward. That’s something that’s always a little iffy in sci-fi. Everything has levelled up, and we’re happy to be collaborating with Guillermo in a very, very cool way.”
We’ll finally get to see how “Pacific Rim: Uprising” compares to its beloved predecessor when it is released on March 23, 2018. You can take a gander at the trailer for the blockbuster below.
