‘Pacific Rim 2’ Delayed Indefinitely, May Be Cancelled Altogether
Pacific Rim 2has just hit a kaiju-sized roadblock. The sci-fi action sequel has reportedly been “halted indefinitely,” after rumors of delays circulatedlast week. That could mean the film will just arrive a bit later than we’d hoped; it may also mean it’ll never get made. More on thePacific Rim 2delay after the jump.THRbroke the bad news in a lengthy piece about Legendary’s offscreen drama with Universal and Warner Bros. DirectorGuillermo del Torohad beengearing upto shootPacific Rim 2in November, for release by Universal onAugust 4, 2017. However, the film will now be pushed back or cancelled altogether.
The trade doesn’t explain why exactly Universal is getting cold feet aboutPacific Rim 2, but it basically comes down to money. As they point out, the originalPacific Rimwas “one of those films that grosses a lot ($411 million worldwide) while being so costly that a follow-up isn’t a sure thing.”
The production budget for the originalPacific Rim 2was reported to be $190 million. That’s a lot less than, say,Avengers: Age of Ultron($250 million) but a good sight more thanJurassic World($150 million). It’s also enough money that we can understand why these companies would be hesitant about diving in with a follow-up.
Del Toro had started making plans forPacific Rim 2before the first one even hit theaters. Initially, the original’s poor performance at the domestic box office ($101 million, or a little over half the production budget) made a sequel look like a pipe dream. But the sci-fi actioner rallied overseas, making a killing in China, and so Legendary decided to proceed with a follow-up.
StarsCharlie Hunnam,Charlie Day,Burn Gorman, and probablyRinko Kikuchiwere expected back forPacific Rim 2. The script by del Toro,Travis Beacham, andZak Pennpicks up a few years after the events of the first film, with more kaiju action. It was also supposed topave the wayforPacific Rim 3.
