“What do you mean we?”: Real Reason Guillermo del Toro Abandoned John Boyega’s Pacific Rim 2
Guillermo Del Toro, who has given some of Hollywood’s eccentric masterpieces, such as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water, is regarded for his unique storytelling style and known for his visual artistry to plunge audiences into his fantastical worlds.
Del Toro’s expansive sci-fiction franchise of massive battling robots, Pacific Rim, was another testament to the visually breathtaking addition to his impressive filmography. Following the success of the film, it grossed a remarkable $411 million worldwide. del Toro, who was up for the idea for the sequel, sadly had to abandon the project. Explaining the reason for the withdrawal, del Toro says he couldn’t watch Pacific Rim 2.
Creative differences lead Guillermo del Toro to decline Pacific Rim 2
Guillermo del Toro established the Pacific Rim franchise in 2013, which follows the story of humanity fighting against giant monsters using robots. After the massive success of the first movie, the studio was eager to produce a sequel. However, due to various creative disagreements, del Toro had to part ways with the project.
During the Q&A at Collider’s 10th-anniversary screening of Pacific Rim in IMAX 3D, the director revealed to Steven Weintraub the reason why he didn’t helm the Pacific Rim sequel,
‘We were getting ready to do it, it was different from the first, but it had a continuation of many of the things that I was trying to do. Then what happened is—I mean, this is why life’s crazy, right? —they had to give a deposit for the stages at 5 p.m. or we would lose the stages in Toronto for many months.
‘So, I said, “Don’t forget we’re gonna lose the stages,” and five o’clock came and went, and we lost the stages. They said, “Well, we can shoot it in China.” And I go, “What do you mean we?” [Laughs] “I’ve gotta go do Shape of Water.”
del Toro says that Warner Bros. ultimately failed to deposit the sound stage in Toronto. Consequently, as they lost access in China for shooting, he decided to decline the project and committed to working on The Shape of Water.
Guillermo del Toro avoids watching Pacific Rim Uprising
Meanwhile, Steven S. DeKnight took the mantle of The Pacific Rim, with the script panned by Jon Spaihts, and released Pacific Rim Uprising in 2018. Unfortunately, the sequel movie received a poor reception, leading to a disappointing box office result.
Also Read: Director Ridley Scott Did Not Like One Thing About Joaquin Phoenix’s $1 Billion Worth ‘Joker’
Even after five years since its release, del Toro admitted that he didn’t watch the sequel installment of the franchise. He likens it to watching “home movies from your ex-wife”.
“I didn’t see the final movie because that’s like watching home movies from your ex-wife. It is terrible if they’re good and worse if they’re bad, or the opposite. You don’t want to know. So, I didn’t see it. I did read the final script, and it was very different. Some of the elements were the same but very different.”
He also says that he did read the script of the movie and mentioned that it was different from his vision of Pacific Rim.
Guillermo del Toro’s sequel envisioned a mind-bending twist
In 2014, del Toro confirmed he would return for the sequel with a script written by Zak Penn (The Avengers, Free Guy) and Travis Beacham, titled Pacific Rim: Maelstrom. The Pacific Rim revolves around massive humanoid robots called Jaegers, which are piloted by two skilled warriors who engage in a battle with the colossal sea monster Kaiju.
“The villain was this tech guy who had invented sort of the internet 2.0. And then they realized that all his patents came to him one morning. ‘Oh, he got them from the precursors”.
He continues that the precursors would turn out to be the humans from the distant future who are “attempting to terraform, trying to re-harvest the earth to survive”. The concept adds a complex twist that explores themes of time, technology, and the consequences of human choices.
