Pacific Rim Adds Oscar Nominee Rinko Kikuchi

Pacific Rim, director Guillermo Del Toro‘s first movie since 2008’s Hellboy II:The Golden Army, continues to add to its impressive cast. Actress Rinko Kikuchi, Oscar nominee for her role in Babel, has now joined the cast. Kikuchi’s casting in Pacific Rim follows the recent announcement of Idris Elba and Horrible Bosses star Charlie Day also joining cast. Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam was the first cast member announced back in May.

Pacific Rim tells the story of an alien invasion and a group of humans who pilot robots to defend the earth. According to IndieWire Rinko Kikuchi will play Mako Mori, a young Japanese pilot of a robot called Jaegers. Mako will be a co-pilot to Charlie Hunnam‘s Raleigh Antrobus while Idris Elba‘s Stacker Pentecost is their commanding officer and Charlie Day is a scientist attempting to discover the source of the alien attack.

Pacific Rim goes into production this fall at Toronto’s Pinewood Studios. Filming on Pacific Rim is planned to last six months with a release date set for July of 2013, which places the film in the blockbuster territory of Tom Cruise‘s Oblivion, the animated sequel Despicable Me 2 and the comic book sequel Thor 2.

Rinko Kikuchi, who found endless acclaim for her role in Babel, was last seen on U.S screens in the 2008 grifter comedy The Brothers Bloom. Since then she’s done a number of films in Japan, including the critically acclaimed Norwegian Wood in 2010. Kikuchi will next be seen in the Keanu Reeves epic 47 Ronin which was described by the Los Angeles Times as a cross between a Japanese legend and the over the top 3D splendor of 300. 47 Ronin has wrapped production under director Carl Rinsch and is set for theaters in the summer of 2012.