In a sad blow to the ‘Pacific Rim‘ series, it seems that in order to get the film out of pre-production limbo and get the wheels moving again, Guillermo Del Tor had to step down as the director to the sequel, which I am sure was a difficult decision for the man, as he really enjoyed directing and promoting the first ‘Pacific Rim’ film.
However, there is some good news, in that the studio has tapped Steven S. DeKnight to direct the film in his stead. DeKnight is well known for his work in television, having directed episodes of ‘Smallville,’ ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ and ‘Angel,’ in the past, and most recently bringing ‘Spartacus’ and Marvel’s ‘Daredevil‘ to life on the small screen as showrunner.
‘Pacific Rim 2’ will be his big screen directorial debut, but the man is fortunate that Del Toro, despite being nixed from the director’s chair, is still sure to stay as involved as possible on the project due to his love of the material, and DeKnight and Del Toro working together could really bring something magnificent to audiences. DeKnight might even be able to smooth over any rough edges the franchise had (Del Toro is not well known for having well-rounded movies, just visually spectacular ones), and the combination of Del Toro’s vision and DeKnight’s eye toward character development and story could be a winning combination for the franchise.
What are your thoughts on Del Toro stepping down and DeKnight stepping in to take the reigns on ‘Pacific Rim 2’? Do you sense too much studio control over the film because the first one had such a large budget and did not do nearly as well as they had hoped it would? Feel free to share your opinions on the future of the franchise in the comments section below!
Source: Deadline
