'Pacific Rim 2' returning star Charlie Hunnam is all geared up for his lead role in the sequel. He hopes for more character-focused and story-driven follow-up.
According to Screen Rant, Hunnam will reprise his role as lead protagonist Raleigh Becket for a sequel that will start filming in fall this year under the direction of Guillermo del Toro. This will be his newest collaboration with the filmmaker after finishing with the gothic romance film 'Crimson Peak'.
The follow-up will spawn a supplementary animated series as well as a comic-book adaptation. The English actor expressed his pride over work on the first film however he admitted that it could be done better for a second time around.
He said, "I think world creation and monster creation and all of that stuff is exciting as a secondary element of storytelling. When it becomes more important than storytelling, I get very nervous, and you sort of lose me a little bit. Although we tried very hard on Pacific Rim to marry those two elements, I do feel like ultimately it got weighed heavier on the side of spectacle."
In another article by Cinema Blend, it was reported that November is the second film's scheduled shooting date. Hunnam hoped that it will focus more on characters and story line instead of special effects that bogged down the emotional intensity of its predecessor. He revealed that dependence on technology made it more difficult to bring out characterization and dimension to people in the story.
It was reported that the sequel will pick up from the events of the first film and will focus more on after-effects of the monstrous Kaiju - how they are no longer perceived as a threat - and what happens to the pilots and Jaeger that they are no longer needed.
Del Toro may be jumping in to begin production on the long-awaited sequel but it was reported that Legendary Entertainment will be spending less on its budget, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
During the theatrical release of 'Pacific Rim' back in 2013, it earned disappointing figures in the domestic box office. However, it still grossed thrice as much overseas making it worthy of a sequel. It may not be bad news for del Toro as he will probably get the chance to create a more character-driven plot instead of more convoluted expensive action scenes made possible by CGI.
'Pacific Rim 2' is a science-fiction monster action film set to premiere on August 4, 2017. The first cinematic release starred Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi and Charlie Day and received generally positive feedback from critics and audiences. It featured eight Jaegers, robots maneuvered by humans, and 13 Kaiju, highly toxic gigantic monsters.
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