According to a report from Deadline, "Pacific Rim 2" will be releasedd in theaters on Feb. 23 2018, a full five years after the release of the first movie. The report continues to state that the movie will focus on John Boyega's character, son of Idris Elba's character from the first movie, with rumors of Scott Eastwood joining the cast as well.
Elba played the role of Stacker Pentecost, the leader of the Jaeger pilots fighting against the aliens and their Kaiju invading Earth. If Boyega is playing his son then it is likely the sequel will take place a significant number of years after the first film.
According to Collider, this may be why reports do not mention the inclusion of the first film's two lead stars, Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi. It is speculated they may have gone into hiding and will only appear later on in the film once Boyega's character has been established as a formidable Jaeger pilot.
Eastwood has not been officially confirmed to be a part of the film but he is speculated to be Boyega's Jaeger partner given that each giant robot requires at least two pilots to work in synchronization to work.
Guillermo del Toro, who directed the first film, is returning as an executive producer and the sequel is going to be directed by Steven S. DeKnight. DeKnight is known primarily for working on the first season of Netflix's "Daredevil" and is viewed by fans as a fitting choice to direct del Toro's sequel.
"Pacific Rim 2" is also noted for almost never seeing the light of day given that the first film barely broke over $100 million on the U.S. market. Fortunately, the film was more successful overseas, particularly in China, and managed to gain a total worldwide box office of $411 million, convincing the studios to green-light the sequel.
