PACIFIC RIM 2: WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR

There may come a day, after everything's said and done, that the term "forever" will be replaced with "Pacific Rim 2," as it's taken almost that long for a sequel to finally start to rev up. The 2013 summer event picture wasn't a huge success upon entering the film market, but over time Pacific Rim did eventually find an audience, bringing home quite a sum during its box office run. So, of course, with a director like Guillermo del Toro interested in returning to a property that could theoretically make a killing in the second round,Pacific Rim 2 (aka Pacific Rim: Maelstrom) became a going concern for the folks at Legendary Pictures, as well as the brass at their new production partner, Universal Pictures.

Yet, as promising as those initial days were, Pacific Rim 2 has suffered setbacks, stumbling blocks, and straight up cancellations in its roughly four years of existence. But to paraphrase the late, great Stacker Pentecost, the powers that be have cancelled the apocalypse, and the film is back on! Which means it's never too early to start compiling the facts and turning on the hype machine to full throttle, collecting everything we know, and think we know, about the next battle between man and beast.

Now, without further delay, here's what we know so far...

What Is The Pacific Rim 2 Rating?

Pacific Rim 2 will more than likely obtain a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. The last film handily obtained that very same rating, which tends to be the sweet spot for films involving blockbuster action and stylized violence against fictitious creatures. Seeing as the film is already a box office gamble, you can bet the powers that be will want to mine the popular ratings rung for what it's worth.

What Is The Pacific Rim 2 Release Date?

Originally, Pacific Rim 2 was announced with a release date of August 4, 2017. This, of course, was when the project was slated for a start date of sometime last fall. Unfortunately, one of the early signs of trouble with getting the film off the ground came when Pitch Perfect 3was moved into that slot, with Pacific Rim 2 to be re-scheduled at a later time. The current release date that Universal's penciled in for the sequel stands at February 23, 2018. Though, this is subject to change, especially before production has even started.

What Is Pacific Rim 2 About?

Not much is known about the official story to the film that's also known asPacific Rim: Maelstrom, however there are some intriguing rumors as to what the film may be about. The biggest rumor is the fact that despite bringing everyone who survivedPacific Rim back into the fold, the world will be a very different place since the defeat of the Kaiju menace. Specifically, we'll be heeding the lessons of our initial war of the monsters, and learning to protect ourselves a bit better, with Dr. Newton "Newt" Geiszler and Dr. Herman Gottlieb at the forefront of the story, which takes place years after the events of Pacific Rim. Whether Newt will be a hero, or a villain as previously hypothesized, is left for discussion - but one thing's for certain, the Kaiju junkie supreme has not been the same since his initial drift sessions between himself and one of the many monsters of "The Breach." Also, one final note on the potential story to Pacific Rim 2: allegedly, the final battle is going to be a doozy. The writer currently attached to help script the film isJurassic World writer Derek Connolly.

The Director

While Guillermo del Toro may have been the original choice to directPacific Rim 2, seeing as he created the franchise and all, he departed the director's chair once the announcement was made that the project was coming out of hibernation. Which meant that a bold new candidate would be needed to take on the task of putting humans and kaiju against each other yet again. Enter Steven S. DeKnight, best known as the first season showrunner for Netflix's Daredevil. DeKnight is also known for his various roles as a combination writer/producer/director on such shows as Smallville, Angel, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is Steven S. DeKnight's first feature film as a director.