While “Pacific Rim” did well, the take of just over $400 million worldwide isn’t a slam dunk in today’s studio world (which is crazy, we know). And so, that’s why Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures haven’t yet greenlit a sequel. But don’t tell that to Guillermo del Toro. Last fall, he revealed that he and Travis Beacham had started work on the script, and that effort is continuing, although with a different writer teaming with del Toro.
“I’m working very, very hard with Zak Penn,” del Toro revealed to BuzzFeed about working with the writer to “The Incredible Hulk.” “We’ve been working for a few months now in secret. We found a way to twist it around. Travis Beacham was involved in the storyline and now I’m writing with Zak because Travis has become a TV mogul [he now works on the Fox show ‘Heiroglyph.’ ”
And so, what will it be about? Well, it won’t be prequel, with the story picking up with the further adventures of Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi). And of course, del Toro promises more robot smashing mayhem. “I’m going for very new, very crazy ideas on the second one, which are very different from the first one—but you will get really great spectacle,” the director said.
Of course, all of this still rests on whether or not the studio suits decide they want to go down the sequel route. But considering the increasing importance of franchise properties, we wouldn’t rule out that possibility.