Guillermo del Torro has decided to sit out for the upcoming Pacific Rim: Maelstrom. However, without its release date and confirmed timeline for filming, speculations have surfaced that the film might never make it to the theaters.
After his work as director in the first film, Del Torro is no longer attached to helm the upcoming Pacific Rim 2. According to Deadline, the work for the second film was passed to Steven DeKnight who will make his directorial debut through the sequel.
However, even with DeKnight's announcement as the director, there are still rumors that the film might be shelved. As reported by Parent Herald, the rumors about its cancellation originated when the film was pulled from its August 2017 release date which is currently owned by Pitch Perfect 3. As of writing, the film remains to be listed with no official release date stated.
According to Cross Map, Del Torro also previously hinted that the budget for the film could be one of the reasons for its delay. "I can tell you this, if I was a billionaire, I would definitely do Hellboy 3, Pacific Rim 2, and At the Mountains of Madness. And I would quickly become a millionaire.", Del Torro said.
It is worth noting that although Pacific Rim was able to rake in $411 million in the box office, most of its profit was generated overseas. Majority of the film's earnings from overseas came from China where it generated $111 million in total.
Meanwhile, production is rumored to be eyeing on getting all the survivors from the first film to return to its sequel, although the official roster of cast members has not been released yet. Plot details for the sequel are also scarce but there have been speculations that Charlie Day's Dr. Newton Geiszler and Burn Gorman's Herman Gottlieb could be the center of the sequel's story.
Pacific Rim 2 was written by Guillermo del Torro, who will also produce the film along with Callum Greene, Jon Jashni, Mary Parent, and Thomas Tull. More details will be reported when production begins.
