Ukrainian Up-And-Comer Ivanna Sakhno Climbs Aboard Pacific Rim 2

Ivanna Sakhno isn’t a name that is likely to ring a bell on these shores. To date, the Ukrainian has starred in only two features in her native country – The Body Tree and Ivan The Powerful – but Deadline brings word today that Sakhno is headed for the big, big time.

Bundled together with news that Lana Condor (X-Men: Apocalypse) has now nabbed a role in the star-studded Alita: Battle Angel, it’s been revealed that Ivanna Sakhno has climbed aboard Pacific Rim 2, joining John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Jing Tian, Cailee Spaeny and the recently-cast Adria Arjona for another helping of Jaeger on Kaiju action.

Expanding on those gigantic foundations laid by Guillermo del Toro and Travis Beacham three years ago, little is known about the core plot of Pacific Rim 2. Rumors continue to swirl that the monstrous creature feature will be titled Maelstrom when it deploys for apocalypse-cancelling duty in 2018, at which point The Force Awakens star John Boyega will be taking up arms against the Kaiju threat as the son of Stacker Pentecost.

If there’s any hope that our newfound team of heroes – one that doesn’t include Charlie Hunnam – can hatch a plan to ward off impending doom, it’ll no doubt originate from the son of Idris Elba’s larger-than-life general. The Pan Pacific Defense Corps has a new mascot, it seems.

Emerging from a prolonged development, a period where Legendary and Universal came close to pulling the colossal plug altogether, Pacific Rim 2 will lumber into theaters on February 23, 2018.