In 2015, Derek Connolly and director Colin Trevorrow were bound for Isla Nublar for Universal’s Jurassic World, crafting a tentpole blockbuster that stormed past the $1 billion dollar mark and confidently resurrected a franchise that had slowly began to fossilize on the proverbial shelf.
Both are involved in the planned 2018 sequel – Juan Antonio Bayona is primed to pick up the mantle to direct – as well, though Trevorrow has been elected to helm Star Wars: Episode IX for Disney. Now, Connolly has teed up another blockbuster beyond the vistas of Isla Nublar: Pacific Rim 2.
News comes by way of The Hollywood Reporter, confirming that Connolly has been brought in to work on the embryonic script. Guillermo del Toro, meanwhile, remains attached in a producing capacity, but directing duties have now been passed on to Steven DeKnight of Daredevil fame. It’s understood Zak Penn and Jon Spaihts both had passes on the screenplay, which reportedly takes place years after the original film in a future where the towering Jaegers have gone from shunned relics to ubiquitous weapons of mass destruction.
Considering that Pacific Rim‘s lowly box office haul was the subject of heated debate three years ago, such a VFX-heavy premise will surely be reworked to accommodate a feasible budget. Besides, as THR notes, it remains to be seen whether Connolly has been brought aboard to fine-tune certain elements, or hit the hard reset button.
Though it lingered dangerously close to cancellation, Pacific Rim 2 is firmly back on course for the time being. Earlier this week, Warner Bros. and Legendary nailed down a tentative December 31, 2018 release date.
