I know not many people will agree with me, but I thought that Pacific Rim was one of the most entertaining and enjoyable films of 2013. It delivered on everything it promised and I loved every single over-the-top second of it. So, it’s definitely a bit upsetting to hear that Pacific Rim 2 isn’t a priority for Legendary Pictures.
Speaking with studio CEO Thomas Tull to promote Godzilla, I Am Rogue asked about when we’ll be seeing a sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s aliens vs. robots flick. Here’s what he had to say:
Here’s the deal. We’re very close with Guillermo. He’s doing Crimson Peak for us right now. With the amount of money that we did on Pacific Rim, over $400 million, it didn’t quite hit our expectations, but it did better than a lot of other films. If there’s another great story to tell with Guillermo then we’re all over it because we think it’s really hard to create one of these things from scratch. The movie did really well on home video and merchandise, and it certainly has a big international following. We’re not just going to do Pacific Rim 2 just to do it. Right now we’re talking to Guillermo del Toro. If we can crack the story, we all think it’s great, and it’s him at the helm, then fantastic. But right now there’s nothing going on officially to proclaim.
There’s nothing earth-shattering about what Tull is saying, but he does make it pretty clear that the project isn’t at the top of the studio’s list. As he mentions, the first film didn’t quite destroy the box office like they had hoped, so it’s understandable why they aren’t running to make a sequel.
Still, this is definitely disappointing news. There’s so much left to explore in the Pacific Rim universe and a sequel could go in any number of directions. We have several ideas of our own for where del Toro could take it, but the possibilities really are plentiful.
Plus, as Tull says, Pacific Rim is doing pretty well on home video, which means that Pacific Rim 2 would likely do better at the box office than its predecessor. Despite this, it looks like we’ll just have to sit tight and wait patiently for the sequel. Something tells me that it’s going to be a while before we’re thrown back into the battle between Kaijus and Jaegers.
Tell us, are you as eager as we are to see a Pacific Rim 2? If so, which direction do you think they should take it in? Sound off below!