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‘Sicario 3’ Producers Want To Bring Back Emily Blunt & Josh Brolin For Third Installment: “Our Idea Is To Get The Cast Back Together”

Denis Villeneuve‘s thrillers such as “Prisoners” and “Sicario” helped put the French-Canadian filmmaker on the radar of global audiences alongside studios leading to more pricey sci-fi projects such as “Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049,” and his two “Dune” movies. So, it’s not that shocking that “Sicario” after becoming a financial and acclaimed critical success would end up getting a sequel. Despite the mixed reception of that second film, a third one is in active development with the expectation that Benicio del Toro will be leading “Sicario 3.” While there had been some assumption that Josh Brolin‘s Matt, a C.I.A. Agent, would be making a grand return in “Sicario 3” seemingly in an antagonist role, it sounds like producers are also aiming to get Emily Blunt back in the fold as well.

During a chat with Collider to promote the Netflix crime thriller “Reptile,” franchise producers Molly Smith and Trent Luckinbill dished that they want to get the trio in the next movie but scheduling is going to play a big role for that to come together.

Interview: Denis Villeneuve Talks 'Sicario,' Strong Female Leads, 'Blade Runner' Sequel & More – IndieWire

“Our idea is to get the cast back together with Benicio, Emily, and Josh, and we’ve got a great story to tell…Benicio, by nature of just working with us most recently, has been probably the closest to it at the moment. But we’re keeping all the talent informed. They’ve stayed close to it. Like Trent said, the strike has just slowed us down a bit on this last draft, but I think everybody is very excited. Everyone sort of knows the framework of the story and is very excited to, hopefully, get our shooting draft in order very soon.”

How exactly they’ll navigate the busy schedules of two of their primary actors isn’t clear but another aspect hasn’t been announced either, who will direct “Sicario 3” and what the plot will be pertaining to how Blunt’s FBI Agent gets pulled back into the fray. We’ll just have to wait for more information once the SAG-AFTRA strike is resolved, hopefully in the near future. I think it would be in their best interest to also court co-star Daniel Kaluuya, considering his star has risen as well since the first film was released back in 2015.

In the lawless border area stretching between the U.S. and Mexico, an idealistic FBI agent [Emily Blunt] is enlisted by an elite government task force official [Josh Brolin] to aid in the escalating war against drugs. Led by an enigmatic consultant with a questionable past [Benicio Del Toro], the team sets out on a clandestine journey forcing Kate to question everything that she believes in order to survive.

SOURCE: COLLIDER

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Marvel’s Revamped ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Series Adds ‘Moon Knight’ & ‘Loki’ Directors

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel Studios has officially secured new directors for their revamped “Daredevil” streaming series titled “Daredevil: Born Again.” The shake-up on the project stems from an aim to retool the show during the pause in production over the last couple of months in the wake of both the writers’ and actors’ strikes, as filming had been underway in New York City.

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, the duo known for Marvel’s “Moon Knight” and the recent string of episodes of “Loki” in season two have been tasked to complete the series alongside the new showrunner Dario Scardapane (“Jack Ryan”). The latter is an alumni of the Netflix wave of Marvel Television produced series with “The Punisher,” and potentially a welcomed sight as Jon Bernthal is expected to reprise the role of Frank Castle in the MCU show alongside Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio.

While the recent string of episodes of “Loki” isn’t exactly action-packed, there were plenty of fight sequences in “Moon Knight” that should make fans happy the new directors being called in have experience already within the world of MCU streaming shows.

Chris Ord and Matt Corman had been previously acting as “head writers” before their exit from the Marvel series earlier this year as the studio looked toward a new vision and it remains to be seen what the final episode count will be. Originally, “Daredevil: Born Again” was aiming to get 18 episodes completed for this new series.

Kevin Feige had recently indicated in a book focusing on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s canon that the previous Marvel Television shows like the ones made for Netflix won’t be considered mainstream canon. With that in mind, “Daredevil: Born Again” is expected to do its own thing rather than being a continuation of the previous incarnation but will keep a handful of cast members in their roles and others likely won’t be reprising their roles anytime soon.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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‘Highlander’: Lionsgate & Director Chad Stahelski’s Reboot Starring Henry Cavill To Start Filming In Early 2024

Lionsgate is officially moving forward with its reboot of the “Highlander” franchise after multiple years in development and is aiming to begin shooting in early 2024, one of the more concrete updates we’ve seen yet on the project. A report from Deadline has revealed that the film is now heading to the American Film Market to find partners as the budget is said to be over $100 million. Which is sort of on par with what Lionsgate spent on Stahelski’s recent hit “John Wick 4.” As previously reported, British actor Henry Cavill is attached for a leading role, and screenwriter Mike Finch (“Predators,” “John Wick 4”) is said to have penned the latest draft of the script.

This comes after Stahelski has been mulling over what feature film he’d tackle next after making four straight installments of the increasingly popular “John Wick” franchise starring Keanu Reeves. “Highlander” would, of course, be an excellent excuse for Stahelski to explore different kinds of action scenes as the characters who inhabit this universe are immortals and can only be killed once their heads are severed from their bodies, usually by swords. Meaning that we’ll get plenty of swordplay in the “Highlander” reboot, something that Cavill is seemingly primed and ready for after his tenure as the lead in Netflix’s fantasy series “The Witcher.”

“There Can Be Only One,” is the main tagline and refers to the quest of immortals to be the last man standing in duels to the death, as once an immortal kills another their power/strength via the Quickening is adding to their own. However, it’s been signaled that they’re more or less going to be taking cues from both the films and the expanded television series mythology. Since they don’t want to start off the first film with all immortals dead, this was sort of retconned later in the TV adaptations to allow for great numbers of immortals both good and bad to populate the show. Watchers were introduced in the series as the mortal faction that documents and sometimes even mentors immortals as they navigate a dangerous landscape that even includes super-immortals, a few that have killed so many fellow immortals over the centuries their powers are more in the realm of super-human.

The reboot has seen different incarnations over the years from Ryan Reynolds once attached to the lead the project long before his “Deadpool” success and even had “Fast & Furious” franchise director Justin Lin involved before Stahelski was ultimately selected to helm. Cavill recently returned to feature films shooting two action films back-to-back with Guy Ritchie and seems primed to get “Highlander” in the can as well.

Another big what-if is going to be what actors they’ll be able to secure for “Highlander” as the ongoing strike between SAG-AFTRA (actors’ union) and the AMPTP (studios) has yet to be officially resolved. However, there are ongoing negotiations this week that could end up resulting in a positive outcome with a fair deal for actors.

One of the biggest aspects of the original film was the soundtrack/score handled by British rock group, Queen. It’ll be interesting to see if Lionsgate attempts to do a similar collaboration with an active metal/rock group to make sure the music is another character of the reboot.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

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Daniel Radcliffe Denies Persistent Wolverine Casting Rumor Whilst Strapped To A Literal Lie Detector: “Flattered, But No”

As soon as it was revealed that Marvel Studios would end up getting the “X-Men” film rights reverted back them in the wake of Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, there has been an oddball fan campaign online to get “Harry Potter” actor Daniel Radcliffe (A well-known short actor) to take over the Wolverine role from Hugh Jackman (Appearing as Logan in “Deadpool 3”).

Well, despite the actor himself debunking various casting rumors over the years, he’s now been strapped to a lie detector for Vanity Fair(See video below) and was asked again about his potential casting as the iconic Canadian mutant by his fellow “Merrily We Roll Along” cast members Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez. As expected, the British actor denied it, again, adding that his recent buffness seen in the latest season of his comedy series “Miracle Workers” has nothing to do with being courted to play Wolverine by Marvel. When directly asked if he started the Wolverine rumor himself he responded with a clear, “No.”

“Yes. I got buff because I am obsessive, and I want to… You’ve seen my parents, they’re like insane fitness people. So that’s just been passed on. But no. No Wolverine. Flattered, but no,” Radcliffe stated.

This wouldn’t be the first time the actor has been connected to an MCU role as “online rumors” once claimed he was in the running to play Mark Spector, aka, Moon Knight, and was another rumor he had to deny multiple times in interviews.

Still, I’ll be holding out for more likely/suitable contenders such as Austin Butler (“Dune: Part Two”) Jeremy Allen (“The Bear,” “Iron Claw”), and Paul Mescal (“Gladiator 2”) to get a crack at the role of one of the most popular Marvel Comics characters. While I’m warming up to the idea of Taron Egerton doing it, I feel like there are plenty of others already doing action that could put the claws on too. Just hiring an actor because they’re short is a bit of the ridiculous fan asks applied to the new Wolverine, but likely won’t be a real make-or-break requirement of the studio for casting given this role is going to become a mainstay in the MCU for the next decade or more. Given that Marvel is reportedly only just meeting with screenwriters for “X-Men” it’s unlikely that we’ll see the new Wolverine actor anytime, despite any online rumors concerning what will or not show up in “Deadpool 3.”

SOURCE: VANITY FAIR

Posted on in Film News, News

‘They Found Us’: Neill Blomkamp’s Alien Abduction Thriller Starring Joel Kinnaman Shuts Down Just Before Filming Starts

A majority of Hollywood productions are being paused due to the SAG-AFTRA strike and its extension due to the AMPTP walking away from the recent round of negotiations. Other smaller features have been to move forward or have found workarounds like hiring non-SAG actors or getting union exemptions. Director Neill Blomkamp (“Gran Turismo”) was set to begin shooting an alien abduction thriller titled “They Found Us” with Swedish-American actor Joel Kinnaman (“Silent Night”) set to play a father who takes his daughter camping in the Utah wilderness only to be attacked by a hostile alien and fight this beastly creature to avoid being abducted to a terrifying alien world.

There is now a report from Deadline that the film, currently in pre-production, has paused its prep stage ahead of principal photography in Saudi Arabia and was backed up by AGC Studios. It isn’t expected to get back up and running until a rework of its finance structure. This is the same studio that was recently behind Richard Linkleter’s buzzy hitman comedy “Hit Man” starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona.

“The move to restructure the finance plan behind the independent movie comes just as tension in the region is growing due to the Israel-Gaza crisis.”

“They Found Us” has a script that hails from screenwriter Jeremy Slater, who previously worked on Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy” and Marvel’s “Moon Knight.”

AGC made the following statement to Deadline:

“We’ve taken the reluctant decision with our valued partners at Neom to pause pre-production on the film while we further explore a cross-border legal and funding structure that makes all stakeholders comfortable. In deciding when to resume pre-production we’ll obviously assess what impact macro events in the region may have on obtaining production insurances and travel plans. Our friends at Neom and Yellow Camel have been nothing but collaborative and reliable partners at every stage of the journey thus far and we look forward to returning to prep on the film with them at the earliest sensible opportunity.”

Given that it wasn’t set to begin shooting for weeks/months it could allow enough time to get things ironed out without any major disruption. Then again, plenty of films have gone on hiatus just before filming and just simply never ended up happening. Some of the previous Blomkamp projects that ended up not getting in front of cameras include “Alien 5,” “RoboCop Returns,” and a live-action “Halo” film at 20th Century Fox that was going to be produced by Peter Jackson.

Blomkamp, of course, is no stranger to the world of sci-fi and aliens as his first big feature film “District 9” focused on stranded alien refugees in South Africa alongside “Elysium” and “Chappie” set squarely within the cyberpunk genre exploring different angles of artificial intelligence and highly advanced technologies.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Film News, News

Fede Alvarez Shares Producer Ridley Scott’s Reaction To His Director’s Cut Of ‘Alien: Romulus’: “It’s Fucking Great”

If you weren’t already aware, 20th Century Studios and Disney are looking to reenergize the “Alien” franchise with not only a brand new mystery film called “Alien: Romulus” from director Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead”) but also Noah Hawley (“Fargo”) behind an Earthbound streaming series at FX/Hulu as well that takes place before the events of the original film. It looks like things are chugging along with Fede’s film as he recently completed a director’s cut or potentially an assembly cut of the film.

Guillermo del Toro spoke with the filmmaker at The Directors Guild of America’s Latino Summit 2023 where he revealed the pressure-cooker moment when franchise producer Ridley Scott sat in a room alone to watch the director’s cut before anyone else and shared his promising impressions with Alvarez.

“I finished the director’s cut a week ago and go through the incredibly intense process of sending it Ridley Scott, who is my producer. He’s the producer of the movie. I wanted him to see it before anybody and everybody gave me the heads up that ‘Ridley’s really tough and particularly if you have something to do with his movie.’ He was really tough on ‘Blade Runner,’ which I saw as a masterpiece…He walks into the room and he did say ‘Fede what I can say? It’s fucking great.’ My family knows it was the best moments of my life to have a master like him, which I admire so much, even to watch a movie I made. The best compliment he gave was ‘The dialogue is great, you’re the writer?'”

The young cast assembled for the sci-fi horror pic includes Caliee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux, David Jonsson, Aileen Wu, and Spike Fearn. While the film is in the post-production stage we still haven’t got our hands on an official plot synopsis for the new “Alien” film other than previous hints that it could involve an off-world colony facility

Alvarez isn’t understating Scott’s hyper-critical persona. Director Neill Blomkamp’s takeaway from his experience developing “Alien 5” only for it to go away was that Scott had likely soured on him after watching “Chappie” and potentially had the movie killed. Although, it sounds like Alvarez’s experience was very much different with his new “Alien” installment.

Interestingly enough, ILM is working on the film’s visual effects alongside Weta Workshop, which is said to be working on weapons and vehicles. The Gillis team returning to do creature effects as well.

Thankfully for fans, the sequel will be heading to theaters on August 16, 2024, after it had been previously set to become another Hulu exclusive like their well-done “Predator” prequel, “Prey.” Given that they have a director’s cut this early less than a year away from release there is some hope the studio could start releasing first-look images and even a teaser trailer in the near future.

You can watch the full conversation between del Toro and Alvarez right here.

SOURCE: DGA LATINO SUMMIT 2023

Posted on in News, Television News

Live-Action ‘Gargoyles’ Series At Disney+ Will Be Produced By James Wan’s Atomic Monster

In the 1990s, Disney was behind one of the more unique genre-bending cartoon series with “Gargoyles.” A series that proposes that Gargoyles are actually living creatures/warriors that turn to stone in the daylight and come alive again at night, adding a time-travel and superhero angle to some extra creative flare. There had once been a rumor that Jordan Peele (“Nope”) attempted a live-action incarnation at Disney but that seemingly has gone nowhere as The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that they’ll be working alongside writer/director Gary Dauberman (“Annabelle Comes Home”) on a series at Disney+ with James Wan‘s production company Atomic Monster (“M3GAN”) also getting involved.

Here is a logline for the original cartoon:

After spending a thousand years in an enchanted petrified state, the gargoyles (who have been transported from medieval Scotland) are reawakened in modern-day New York City, and take on roles as the city’s secret night-time protectors.

Dauberman recently directed a feature film incarnation of Stephen King’s vampire novel “Salem’s Lot,” along with writing the scripts for multiple movies within Wan’s “Conjuring” cinematic universe including “The Nun.” So, he’ll certainly bring out the darker visual and horror elements from the animated version that aired between 1994 and 1997.

This would be one of the higher-profile Disney+ series after the Marvel and “Star Wars” projects, given the Gargoyles to be convincing enough would likely need to be done via top-notch CGI and that could speak to the scale of the visual effects budget. The main character Goliath was voiced by veteran film actor Keith David (“Spawn,” “The Thing,” “They Live”), who could potentially reprise the role if they’re looking to do motion-capture/CGI versions of the Gargoyles. David’s signature buttery voice would be appreciated but not make-or-break.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Lobo’: Jason Momoa In Talks With DC Studios To Play Foul-Mouthed Alien Bounty Hunter, Might Show Up In ‘Superman: Legacy’ Before Solo Pic

Despite “Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom,” the upcoming sequel to the billion-dollar hit “Aquaman,” being on the way this December, it looks like actor Jason Momoa (“Dune,” “Game of Thrones”) is now seeking another big comic book role at DC Studios. In a new report from Variety, the outlet claims that Momoa’s time as Aquaman is ending and is already in talks to play another DC Comics character. That being Lobo, a beefy alien biker and bounty hunter who can go toe-to-toe with Superman but has some antihero traits similar to that of both Marvel’s Wolverine and Deadpool. Gruff appearance and lots of witty one-liners ready to go, a character that would most likely suit Momoa’s entire aesthetic more than Aquaman or any other hero or villain in comics.

Speaking of the Man of Steel facing off with The Main Man, they also suggest it is unclear if his first appearance would be in James Gunn‘s “Superman: Legacy” or in a hypothetical solo adventure. As far as we know there hasn’t been any active development on the new incarnation of the “Lobo” movie, which had been in the works a long time ago.

Momoa may return, just not as Aquaman. Sources say the actor has engaged in talks to play Lobo, either in the 2025 reboot ‘Superman: Legacy,’ written and directed by Gunn, or in a standalone film.

Ages ago, a solo “Lobo” movie had been in development at Warner Bros. predating either Momoa or Gunn’s involvement with the current run of comic book movies. At one point, Joel Silver was producing and had Guy Ritchie (“Aladdin,” “Snatch”) attached to direct with various suitors aiming to play Lobo at different times such as Jeffrey Dean Morgan (“Watchmen,” “The Walking Dead”) during the Ritchie version and “Black Adam” actor Dwayne Johnson (Eyed a mangled Sgt. Rock incarnation as well) back with Brad Peyton when it once looked like he was going to direct.

However, a leaked version of the “Lobo” script made its way online and seemed to focus on alien fugitives making their way to Earth as Lobo was in pursuit of them in his capacity as a ruthless bounty hunter. Making his way to Earth to collect his newest bounties.

Since then, there really hasn’t been any talk of bringing Lobo to the big screen and we’ll wait for some official word from Gunn/WB before getting too excited about the prospect of Momoa as Lobo. It would be nice to see DC Studios branch out with a couple more cosmic projects since Lobo is a character that can be explored in outer space and on Earth. The former is the preferred setting given how few non-Earthbound films we’ve seen from Warner Bros. since they started churning out modern DC projects.

Momoa had been previously outspoken that one of his dream roles would be playing Lobo, so, this might be a solid way to transition the actor into the newly formed DCU. The hard reset on the DCEU seemingly is the reason as other actors playing “Justice League” members (Momoa, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, and Ezra Miller) aren’t expected to reprise their roles either. This comes after some misleading statements suggesting that Gadot would be involved with a third “Wonder Woman” movie and a wave of untrustworthy online rumors claiming that Affleck would be getting multiple new projects as Batman. Clearly, the Affleck nonsense has been put to rest.

In fact, none of the stars cast by Zack Snyder for 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and 2017’s “Justice League” — including Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller and Momoa — will reprise their roles in the new DC universe in character.

Gunn has clarified the three existing characters carrying over to the DCU are John Cena’s Peacemaker, Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, and Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle. Limiting the carry-over characters, including ones that Gunn helped mold, might be sort of an olive branch to fans potentially upset that the Snyderverse is being expelled for the new rebooted cinematic universe.

I’m sure we’ll end up hearing soon from Gunn on these new tidbits.

SOURCE: VARIETY

Posted on in Film News, News

Guillermo del Toro Reflects On Developing His Never-Made ‘Star Wars’ Movie As “Good Practice”: “We Had The Rise & Fall Of Jabba The Hutt”

Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (“The Shape of Water”) could fill a room with all the unmade projects he’s either developed or has been courted for over the years. Some of those projects include a feature film version of H.P. Lovecraft‘s “At The Mountains of Madness” starring Tom Cruise (A seminal sci-fi horror tale that inspired the likes of “The Thing” and the “Alien” franchise), the sequel to “Pacific Rim,” a series at Marvel/ABC focused on “The Hulk,” and the most infamous being “The Hobbit” movies that passed to Peter Jackson, reluctantly.

Last month, we learned of another big studio project that he was developing with his “Blade II” screenwriter, David S. Goyer, that didn’t get made either. That is a feature film set in “Star Wars” focusing on “the rise and fall” of Jabba The Hutt in the criminal underworld. While del Toro had mused in previous interviews about making a “Godfather”-type story within that universe, it wasn’t until Goyer mentioned that they had actually tried to get it made and had worked on the script at Lucasfilm for it.

Guillermo del Toro raises some Hellboy | Georgia Straight Vancouver's source for arts, culture, and events

Now, del Toro is reflecting on that experience while chatting with Collider at a Q&A that was held this week and isn’t terribly upset about it not really coming together.

“I believe a movie is going to happen when the Blu-Ray comes out, that’s when I know things are going to happen. In the last moment, things go away. I’ve had it happen many many times. We had the rise and fall of Jabba The Hutt. So, I was super happy, and then it’s not my property, it’s not my money. It’s one of those thirty screenplays that goes away. Sometimes I’m bitter, sometimes I’m not. I always turn to my team and say ‘Good practice, guys. Good practice. We designed a great world, we designed great stuff, we learned.’ So, you can never be ungrateful with life. Whatever life sends you there is something to learn from it.”

If you consider what happened within “The Book of Boba Fett,” it might have made a “Jabba The Hutt” project a little redundant as you likely would have seen similar elements. It’ll be interesting to hear if “Fett” got the Jabba thing erased or if they used things developed by del Toro/Goyer in that series produced by Robert Rodriguez. However, given how inventive the Lucasfilm creature shop has been since “The Force Awakens” the potential of an alien creature-focused “Star Wars” movie with del Toro behind feels like such a loss for fans of both “Star Wars” and the filmmaker himself.

Next up for del Toro is a retelling of Mary Shelley‘s “Frankenstein” at Netflix with a cast that consists of Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, Andrew Garfield, and Christoph Waltz. Filming on that according to the director is aiming to start sometime in February.

Anyway, you can watch del Toro’s thoughts on that experience in video form below.

SOURCE: COLLIDER

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‘Pacific Rim 2’: Guillermo del Toro Wanted Rinko Kikuchi & Donnie Yen To Lead His Sequel, Exited Due To Studio Losing Stages In Toronto

Sometimes when sequels are made they don’t often look like the original incarnation of that follow-up from the development stages and the same can be said about Legendary’s haphazard sequel to Guillermo del Toro‘s “Pacific Rim.” There had been an attempt by del Toro to return for the sequel but left due to some studio hijinks that left them without a stage facility to make the film in a timely manner. His exit from that kaiju-vs-robots sequel was a lot more avoidable than you might imagine.

While speaking with Collider recently, the filmmaker revealed that he ultimately didn’t return to make “Pacific Rim 2” because the studio, Legendary, according to del Toro, let their access to stages at Pinewood Studios Toronto (Where the first film had been shot) expire by not paying the deposit needed to hold them and would have further delayed production with the promise that they could simply shoot the film in China. However, del Toro wanted to do location shoots in China after scouting but mainly do that stage work in Toronto. Instead, del Toro passed after the studio lost the stages they needed in Toronto and moved on to his Oscar-winning film “The Shape of Water,” which as you might expect he shot in Toronto alongside Buffalo, New York.

The Mako Mori test | Karavansara

He revealed that Rinko Kikuchi‘s Mako Mori (Adopted daughter of Marshall Pentecost), the female lead of the previous installment was poised to take the reigns from Charlie Hunnam as the lead of del Toro’s version of “Pacific Rim 2.” Along with the aim to get Hong Kong action star Donnie Yen (“Rogue One,” “John Wick 4”) a key role as well. Yen and del Toro had previously worked together on “Blade II,” where the actor had played a member of the vampire black ops team, The Blood Pack, but didn’t last very long in that picture.

“The main character for me in many ways was Mako Maori…I wrote a phenomenal role for Donnie Yen, I wanted Donnie Yen. I wanted Donnie Yen to star in a damn mainstream movie, I was all for [filming in China]. We did scout in China and we were going to do location shooting [in China] but [for] stage I wanted to be in Toronto.”

Legendary decided not to use those actors in del Toro’s desired capacity. Pivoting to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” actor John Boyega playing the never-mentioned son of Pentecost as our new main protagonist. The main leg of the sequel’s production took place in Australia with director Steven S. DeKnight (“Daredevil”) at the helm, making his feature film debut on a rather massive studio film which is infamously a make-or-break situation on such a large project.

Ultimately, “Pacific Rim: Uprising” wouldn’t be as much of a hit with critics or audiences as it only mustered $291 million which was $100 million less than the last movie had made ($411 million). Guillermo also admittedly never ended up watching the version the studio made and made a flowery comparison to “home movies from your ex-wife.” Adding, “They’re terrible if they’re good and worse if they’re bad.” That line got some chuckles from the audience at the Q&A that Collider was hosting.

Just the other day, del Toro had stated that Tom Cruise nearly had a big role in the original film and was wanted for Idris Elba‘s part but it ultimately didn’t work out.

You can watch that full exchange between del Toro and Collider’s Steve Weintraub below.

SOURCE: COLLIDER