Fans of visionary director Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) have probably heard about his upcoming project, Pacific Rim, in which human-piloted robots battle monstrous creatures. The premise basically combines two of my favorite things: Godzilla movies and Japanese mecha anime. So it's great to hear that del Toro had a blast making this movie, calling it "the best creative experience [he's] ever had in Hollywood." As I'm in awe of his creative vision in his previous exploits, that quote has a lot to live up to. Del Toro had more to say on Pacific Rim, which stars Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day and Ron Perlman, which opens July 12th, 2013. Hit the jump to check out his comments.In a recent interview with Total Film, del Toro talked about Pacific Rim, particularly commenting on the scale of the picture and the casting of Hunnam. As for the scope of this picture:
When we’re talking about the physicality of the fight, we ended up building several blocks of Hong Kong. And literally demolished them. We built a building and then we took down the buildings.
We built command centres of the robots that were the size of the house. We started them on hydraulic rigs that shoot and elevated them and moved them round so you could really get a sense of the physical nature driving a robot like this.
As for Hunnam:
The funny thing is Charlie was one of my only two choices for the prince of Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I met with him. He screen tested. I loved Charlie before Sons Of Anarchy. He always brought a certain honesty. He’s the kind of guy that women will love who guys won’t hate.
He’s the right side of honest and good looking that you don’t want to punch him in the face. You want to have a pint with the guy. You want to take him to the pub. There’s male bonding energy with this guy that I thought was perfect for the character.
Be sure to read up on our Pacific Rim interviews with Elba (both of them), Kikuchi, and del Toro himself, as well as video and images from the set. Check out the full synopsis for Pacific Rim below:
From acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ epic sci-fi action adventure “Pacific Rim.â€
When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.
Oscar® nominee Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinthâ€) is directing “Pacific Rim†from a script by Travis Beacham (“Clash of the Titansâ€).  Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Mary Parent are producing, with Callum Greene serving as executive producer.
The film stars Charlie Hunnam (TV’s “Sons of Anarchyâ€), Idris Elba (“Thorâ€), Rinko Kikuchi (“The Brothers Bloomâ€), Charlie Day (“Horrible Bossesâ€), and Ron Perlman (the “Hellboy†films). The ensemble cast also includes Max Martini, Robert Kazinsky, Clifton Collins, Jr., Burn Gorman, Larry Joe Campbell, Diego Klattenhoff, and Brad William Henke.
Del Toro’s behind-the-scenes team includes Academy Award®-winning director of photography Guillermo Navarro, production designer Andrew Neskoromny, editor Peter Amundson, and costume designer Kate Hawley.
Slated for release in Summer 2013, “Pacific Rim†is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures.  The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
