Say what you will about Pacific Rim, but Guillermo del Toro’s larger-than-life blockbuster had a natural ability to bring out the inner child in us all.
It had all the spectacle and bravado of a gladiator match projected onto the biggest canvas imaginable, as the fictional Pan Pacific Defense Corps mobilized a fleet of towering Jaegers – bipedal robots the size of skyscrapers, essentially – to fend off giant invading monsters known as Kaiju. Much like hurricanes, each creature was grouped into five separate categories depending on the level of threat, which culminated in some apocalypse-cancelling heroics at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
But ten years after humanity was pulled back from the brink, those Kaiju forces begin to stage a resurgence. And so begins Pacific Rim: Uprising, the 2018 sequel coming by way of Daredevil director Steven S. DeKnight. Building on the massive foundations laid by Guillermo del Toro and his team, all signs point to a suitably epic blockbuster sequel, and while promoting his lead role in Detroit, John Boyega told EW that Uprising boasts the same larger-than-life spirit as its forebear.
It’s going to be so cool. This is a fun movie. It’s there to entertain. It’s larger than life. Just go in there looking to have a great time. Get your popcorn nice and warm. Your eyes are going to be peeled. We’ve got a spectacle and [Guillermo] del Toro’s influence is still there. It’s going to be really, really cool.
And that exuberant spirit is made apparent by the Mark VI fleet, which includes Jaeger personalities in the vein of Guardian Bravo, Titan Redeemer, Bracer Phoenix, and Saber Athena.
Curious as to how Uprising will expand on the lore of Pacific Rim? Here’s the official logline:
It’s been ten years since The Battle of the Breach and the oceans are still, but restless. Vindicated by the victory at the Breach, the Jaeger program has evolved into the most powerful global defense force in human history. The PPDC now calls upon the best and brightest to rise up and become the next generation of heroes. When the Kaiju threat returns, we will be ready.
Pacific Rim: Uprising makes landfall on February 23rd, 2018, and will no longer have to compete against Shane Black’s The Predator. Boyega, meanwhile, has lined up the one-two punch of Katheryn Bigelow’s Detroit and a little-known December release called Star Wars: The Last Jedi. They’ll debut in theaters on August 8th and December 15th, respectively.