"Pacific Rim" will be missing one of its original stars when it returns for a sequel. Actor Charlie Hunnam, the first film's lead star, has declared he is not returning to the second film.
"Pacific Rim: Maelstrom," the sequel to Guillermo del Toro's 2013 sci-fi hit, is now its early stages of production. As reported by MTV, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" star John Boyega has signed up to play the lead role, replacing Hunnam's Raleigh Becket.
Hunnam cited scheduling conflicts as one of the reasons why he couldn't return for the sequel.
"There was definitely an incarnation of this sequel that involved me... there was a real agenda to get that film into production as soon as possible," Hunnam explained. "And I was already booked up for a significant period of the time they were going to need."
Hunnam sang the same in an interview with Yahoo, revealing that he received an early draft of the sequel that heavily involved his character, but couldn't make himself available for filming. He added that the "politics and business surrounding filmmaking" made a definite schedule for production that he couldn't commit to at the time.
However, Hunnam shared that the "Pacific Rim" sequel will be very exciting. "It's a serious, significant progression. It feels like they're really aspiring to push this thing forward and do something original with the sequel. So it's cool," the actor stated.
Although Hunnam is no longer at the center of the "Pacific Rim" sequel, it doesn't necessarily suggest that he will be booted out of the project entirely. There's still a chance Hunnam will appear to a certain extent and in a certain capacity.
"Pacific Rim" scored $411 million globally during its theatrical release, garnering a larger chunk of its viewership overseas. The sequel reportedly picks up several years after the first film and will focus on the origins of the Kaiju. It will also explore the effects of the Kaiju's defeat-what will happen to the world when the threat no longer exists, as well as the robots and their pilots.
"Pacific Rim 2" is tentatively set for a Feb. 23, 2018 release date.