Tag: Pacific Rim

Posted on in Film News, News

‘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

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Pacific Rim’: Guillermo del Toro Reveals He Originally Wanted Tom Cruise For Idris Elba’s Part In The Kaiju Action Pic

Once upon a time, there was a time when Guillermo del Toro and mega-star Tom Cruise almost worked together on a massive R-rated feature film version of “At The Mountains of Madness.” The film obviously didn’t come together because of creative differences between del Toro and Universal, along with the insane demands from the studio to get the budget to where it needed to be. Mainly, attempting a PG-13 version which likely would have deflated the vision del Toro for his take on the H.P. Lovecraft sci-fi horror tale.

Well, while speaking with Collider, the filmmaker revealed another sci-fi project they almost worked on together and it was his big mainstream attempt at a robots versus kaiju film, “Pacific Rim.” Instead of Cruise being wanted for the main role in the film they had actually wanted him to play Idris Elba’s mentor and commanding officer character, Marshal Stacker Pentecost. Of course, when they decided to pursue Elba after Cruise wasn’t an option they ended up rewriting the part.

Stacker Pentecost Suite | Pacific Rim (Original Soundtrack) - YouTube

“Oh yeah. The two models for ‘Pacific Rim,’ the two models for the screenplay, are ‘Hoosiers’ with Gene Hackman and Top Gun. So, the part that Idris Elba plays, Tom Cruise was gonna do it, and I even had a karaoke. The deal couldn’t be made. He wanted to do it. We were developing stuff, and he couldn’t do it. I thought, ‘You know what? Let’s go with Idris Elba then. He’s a god.’ Obviously, I had to rewrite it for that, but I thought it was gonna be an interesting analog to do that. It would have been a lot of fun.”

Of course, Tom Cruise did attempt to dabble in more action-centric sci-fi genre projects such as “Edge of Tomorrow” and “Oblivion” which came out the same year as “Pacific Rim” before mostly sticking to his “Mission: Impossible” films alongside the recent “Top Gun” sequel “Maverick.” Stacker would end up dying in the film only for a son we had no idea even existed, played by John Boyega, who became the main lead in the studio’s follow-up installment “Pacific Rim: Uprising.” It’s still pretty wacky that Universal and Warner Bros. wasted a potential team-up between Cruise and del Toro, another fuck-up of epic proportions by agencies/studio executives.

Hopefully, the two will eventually work together at some point.

PACIFIC RIM: Long ago, legions of monstrous creatures called Kaiju arose from the sea, bringing with them all-consuming war. To fight the Kaiju, mankind developed giant robots called Jaegers, designed to be piloted by two humans locked together in a neural bridge. However, even the Jaegers are not enough to defeat the Kaiju, and humanity is on the verge of defeat. Mankind’s last hope now lies with a washed-up ex-pilot (Charlie Hunnam), an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi), and an old, obsolete Jaeger.

SOURCE: COLLIDER

Posted on in News, Television News

EXCLUSIVE: Guillermo del Toro’s Longtime Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro Joins ’12 After Midnight’ Directing Team

Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water, Nightmare Alley) is behind a new horror anthology series at Netflix called Guillermo del Toro Presents 12 After Midnight (formerly 10 After Midnight), where he’ll write, produce, and even direct alongside others.

In this new genre-defining anthology series, acclaimed Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro will present a collection of personally curated stories, that are both equally sophisticated and horrific. Creator and executive producer del Toro will bring his own visionary style as both a writer and director to certain episodes. In addition, he will handpick a team of the genre’s best writers and exciting new filmmakers to bring his selection of stories to life.

The Oscar-winning director is assembling a team of directors to work on the show and we’ve learned about a new addition to the directing team that already officially includes del Toro and Jennifer Kent (The Babadook, The Nightingale).

The Ronin can exclusively reveal that Guillermo Navarro (Godfather of Harlem, Cocaine Godmother, Narcos, Hannibal, Preacher, Luke Cage) has joined the growing group of handpicked directors working on the horror anthology series.

Navarro is mainly known as a cinematographer with a heap of credits such as Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Four Rooms, and Spy Kids. He is the longtime cinematographer of del Toro working together on Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, and Pacific Rim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlAECQzTkfY

We previously reported that director David Prior (The Empty Man) is also working on the series.

There is an expectation the more directors will be named at some point and we will update when more names are announced.

The production team includes seasoned production designer Tamara Deverell (Star Trek: Discovery), who had recently worked with del Toro on his latest feature film Nightmare Alley and his vampire series The Strain. Deverell will work alongside art director Brandt Gordon (Nightmare Alley, Crimson Peak, Total Recall, Suicide Squad, Shazam!)

Plot details on the shows are unknown but we should learn more once the streaming service releases some footage. There is an expectation that 12 After Midnight won’t be dropped on Netflix until sometime in 2022.

We know that Guillermo del Toro is busy on other projects including his next studio release Nightmare Alley this December by Searchlight Pictures and is co-directing a stop-motion animated film based on the classic fairy tale of Pinocchio for Netflix. It’ll be interesting to see if del Toro will continue his relationship with Netflix on future films and television projects.

Posted on in Film News, News

‘Crimes Of The Future’: David Cronenberg Reunites With ‘Pacific Rim’ & ‘Blade II’ Production Designer Carol Spier For New Sci-Fi Movie

Canadian director David Cronenberg (The Fly, Naked Lunch, Eastern Promises) is finally returning to the sci-fi genre as he’ll write and direct the science fiction thriller Crimes of The Future (title lifted from his 1970 film) that will be distributed in the U.S. by Neon (Parasite).

While some embrace the limitless potential of trans-humanism, others attempt to police it. Either way, “Accelerated Evolution Syndrome” is spreading fast. Saul Tenser is a beloved performance artist who has embraced Accelerated Evolution Syndrome, sprouting new and unexpected organs in his body. Along with his partner Caprice, Tenser has turned the removal of these organs into a spectacle for his loyal followers to marvel at in real-time theatre. But with both the government and a strange subculture taking note, Tenser is forced to consider what would be his most shocking performance of all.

Crimes of The Future’s cast so far includes Viggo Mortensen (Lord of The Rings, Eastern Promises, The Road, Alatriste), Lea Seydoux (Spectre, No Time To Die, The Lobster), Kristen Stewart (Underwater, Panic Room, Spencer), Scott Speedman (Underworld The Strangers), Welket Bungué, Don McKellar, and Lihi Kornowski.

The Ronin can confirm the sci-fi film will see Cronenberg reunite with his longtime production designer Carol Spier (Eastern Promises, Naked Lunch, A History of Violence). She’s also worked on Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, Blade II, Mimic, and had been attached for his At The Mountains of Madness film at Universal Pictures before the project dissolved.

There is also an expectation that David Cronenberg will again work with cinematographer Peter Suschitzky (Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, Eastern Promises, Naked Lunch) on the pic as he’s been the filmmaker’s go-to director of photography since Dead Ringers.

UPDATE: Deadline reports that Canadian cinematographer Douglas Koch (Funny Boy) will be working on the film and that production has started in Greece.

Filming on Crimes of The Future is expected to begin within days as previous reports stated production is taking place in Athens, Greece over the summer.

A release date has yet to be officially announced by Neon.

Posted on in News, Television News

Burn Gorman From ‘Pacific Rim’ & ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Confirms Role In ‘Halo’ Series At Paramount+

We’ve been excited to see some first-look footage from the new live-action Halo series from Amblin that will air sometime in 2022. Halo’s cast consists of Pablo Schriber as Master Chief, Bookem Woodbine, Charlie Murphy, Olive Gray, Kate Kennedy, Yerin Ha, Jen Taylor, Shabana Azmi, Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac, and Danny Spani.

Based on the iconic Xbox franchise, Halo’s epic universe and cast of characters comes to life in this new original drama series. Halo reinvented how people think about video games and has grown into a global entertainment phenomenon, having sold more than 81 million copies worldwide. In the new television series adaptation, HALO will take place in the universe that first came to be in 2001, dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant. HALO will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future.

Otto Bathurst, Jonathan Liebesman, Roel Reine, and Jessica Lowery are directing various episodes.

Interestingly enough, British actor Burn Gorman had announced his involvement with Halo back in May on Instagram, while in Budapest (that people seemingly missed) and his agency Hamilton Hodell lists his character as Vishner. Gorman’s credits include Matthew Vaughn’s Layer Cake, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, and HBO’s Game of Thrones.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CO1C6aRASba/

It’s been an abnormally long production for everyone involved with Halo due to the pandemic that started back in the fall of 2019 and only recently wrapped, which likely has exhausted a lot of people involved with Halo. It’s crew includes production designer Sophie Becher (Mars) alongside cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub (Stargate, Independence Day, Black Book, Ninja Assassin) handling the bulk of the show’s episodes. There is also the expectation the action will be great after hiring stunt coordinator Tom Struthers, who has a laundry list of credits such as The Dark Knight, Dunkirk, Dune, Inception, and The Dark Knight Rises.

SOURCE: BURN GORMAN & HAMILTON HODELL

Posted on in Film News

‘Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts’ Adds Ron Perlman As The Voice Of Maximal Leader Optimus Primal

As production as begun on the seventh Transformers film, Transformers: Rise of The Beasts, a new voice actor has been enlisted by Paramount Pictures for a key role in the giant robot vs robot big screen saga. The latest installment will be bringing various characters from the Beast Wars cartoon to the film franchise.

Character actor Ron Perlman, likely best known as the actor behind the original toy Hellboy movies has joined the project playing Maximal leader, Optimus Primal, a Prime that transforms into a giant gorilla instead of a semi-truck. The news comes from the folks over at Collider.

Perlman’s other credits include Pacific Rim, Blade II, Sons of Anarchy, Drive, Enemy At The Gates, Alien Resurrection, The Lost City of Children, Cronos, and Monster Hunter.

Returning to the action and spectacle that first captured moviegoers around the world 14 years ago with the original Transformers, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will take audiences on a ‘90s globetrotting adventure and introduce the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons to the existing battle on earth between Autobots and Decepticons. Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, the film arrives in theatres June 24, 2022.

SOURCE: COLLIDER

Posted on in Film News

Guillermo del Toro Hopeful For ‘Pacific Rim’ & ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Crossover – “Perhaps, One Day They Can Rumble”

While Legendary is about release their big Monsterverse crossover Godzilla vs. Kong, director Guillermo del Toro is on Twitter responding to fans with the hope that at some point his Pacific Rim universe could “rumble” with the Monsterverse in a crossover of it’s own.

DEL TORO: “I personally love seeing the Neon, Sea battles, building demolition, etc because secretly -maybe- the PAC RIM Universe co-exists in the LEGENDARY Kaijuverse and, perhaps, one day they can rumble!”

Pacific Rim: Uprising didn’t do the kind of business that had been expected and given the two films have their other mythology with kaiju (titans in the Monsterverse) being sent to Earth by aliens. Adding aliens to the Monsterverse could one way to continue the franchise beyond the next installment. However, they might have to do a soft-reboot to make it fit for a crossover. Similar to how Kong: Skull Island was Legendary’s soft-reboot of King Kong to become a direct entry point into the established universe of Godzilla.

You can’t watch the Godzilla vs. Kong trailer without noticing the visual cues from del Toro’s neon-filled Pacific Rim. They’re also seemingly teasing robots with the possible inclusion of Mechagodzilla in the new film.

GODZILLA VS. KONG – Legends collide in Godzilla vs. Kong as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two titans—instigated by unseen forces—is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the Earth. 

SOURCE: GUILLERMO DEL TORO

Posted on in Film News

‘Ant-Man 3’ Director Peyton Reed Says Sequel Is Much Bigger and More Sprawling Than Last Two Movies

Marvel Studios is still trying to finish productions on both film and television shows they weren’t able to complete earlier in the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we finally have a neat update concerning Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man 3.

While speaking to The Jess Cagle Show on SiriusXM (via Collider), Peyton mentioned that Ant-Man 3 will be bigger and much more sprawling than the previous two installments of the franchise as they’re still working on the film during the pandemic. 

REED: “We are working away through the pandemic. There’s some really really really exciting things in store, none of which of course I could speak to you about right now, as is the Marvel way. I think the third Ant-Man movie is going to be a much bigger more sprawling movie than the first two. It’s going to have a very different visual template.”

It might be a good idea to see them change gears with the upcoming film given that the Ant-Man films are arguably the ones that have the least connection with global audiences as reflected in the box office returns in comparison to the other solo films. 

Thor had been in a similar situation before Taika Waititi took over with Thor: Ragnarok giving the franchise a much need boost of creativity and Sam Raimi’s Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness is expected to up the stakes in a similar way. The commonality is that they’re including way more characters than previous films to help increase the energy and scale. 

Considering the power-set of Ant-Man and Cassie Lang’s superhero persona of Stature the “bigger” sentiment might actually be literal. 

One way to go is to really lean into the homage of Japanese kaiju movies as Reed previously has mentioned in the past. In 2018, Reed responded on Twitter to a fan question that Ant-Man’s suit was directly inspired by Ultraman and Infra-Man. 

REED: “Ant-Man’s look wasn’t inspired by Kamen Rider, but I will say that we referenced both Ultraman and Infra-Man when discussing the suit. Close enough, right?”

Ant-Man 3 could be an excellent excuse to take on elements of traditional large-scale monster movies placing the MCU into the realm of the Monsterverse (Legendary’s Godzilla and King Kong cinematic universe) and Pacific Rim, given that there are plenty of large monsters in Marvel Comics allowing Scott or Cassie (as Stature) to battle building-size threats. 

Having various creatures escape the Quantum Realm only to increase to a massive/destructive size could be a fun way to go.

Attempting to move things outside of San Francisco would also be nice change and could lead to the film being “visually different”. I’d love to see a Marvel Studios movie take place in Tokyo, Japan as we only briefly saw the location used in Avengers: Endgame.

Before the pandemic, Ant-Man 3 was said to be aiming for an early 2021 shoot and would be spending some of its production in the United Kingdom at Pinewood Studios UK and also return to San Francisco for exterior scenes. 

We already know that officially Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, and Michael Douglas will be returning with the assumption that we’ll see Michelle Michelle Pfeiffer back as Janet and newcomer Emma Fuhrmann as the teenage version of Cassie Lang. 

Shang-Chi & The Legend of The Ten Rings has finally resumed production at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Other productions such as Spider-Man 3, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love & Thunder have yet to begin as they were originally planned to start up in 2020 but will likely be bumped into 2021 leading to more production/release delays in the future. 

While Disney/Marvel Studios haven’t officially announced a release date for the third Ant-Man movie, there is an expectation it could be ready to be released sometime in 2022 if production gets off and running next year. 

SOURCE: THE JESS CAGLE SHOW