Filming is already underway on Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, the sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s giant monster-vs-robots showdown, and the first photos have already leaked from the set with first looks at John Boyega as Idris Elba’s Jaeger-meister son.
Boyega hasn’t gotten the chance to step inside his own giant battle bot (yet), but we see him in civilian clothes — sort of the middle ground between Finn from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Moses from Attack the Block. Paparazzi spotted him filming scenes in which he’s searching for something. Led by some sort of mechanic tracker, he heads through rundown, poverty-ridden streets as he passes by homeless in camping tents. I’d imagine an apocalyptic scenario in which kaiju monstrosities trashed cities on a regular basis has left many people displaced.
There’s still no real word on what type of man Stacker’s son is. Did he follow his father’s footsteps? Will he? But perhaps he’s going to visit Hannibal Chau (Ron Perlman). We know he likes to hang out in seedy places, and he did survive the first film.
See the photos below.
Steven S. DeKnight of Marvel and Netflix’s Daredevil is at the helm of Maelstrom, which also stars Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Jing Tian, and Levi Meaden. Del Toro has been chatting up the possibility of a sequel since before Pacific Rim hit theaters, and based on what he discussed in various interviews, it’s clear the concept has changed. In 2014, he said Maelstrom picks up a few years after Pacific Rim when the people have transitioned back to a world without kaiju. But “what happens to the Jaeger technology once the Kaiju are not a threat”? Did someone say weapons of mass destruction?
[Update] Legendary's action sequel has also added a host of new cast members, deepening the franchise's international appeal, with the additions of Chinese action film star Zhang Jin, alongside Wesley Wong, Lily Ji, Chen Zitong, Lan Yingying and Qian Yongchen with cameos by Xiao Yang and Korean actor Kim Jeong-Hoon.
Pacific Rim: Maelstrom is scheduled for theaters on February 23, 2018.
