Fans of giant monster fights were in for a treat today with the release of the first trailer for Pacific Rim Uprising. The colorful sequel teased plenty of intense action between the heroic Jaegers and the monstrous Kaiju, with all-new Jaegers making their debut in the movie. But that's what we expected to see. Maybe the biggest surprise of the trailer came from a quick snippet of Gipsy Avenger fighting a mysterious black Jaeger. That's a pretty big deal in the world of Pacific Rim, so when I spoke with director Steven S. DeKnight at New York Comic Con, it was the first question I had to ask. Here's what he was able to say about the Jaeger-on-Jaeger battle:
You know, there's a lot of conflict in the world. When this movie starts, the disaster zones from the first movie are still recovering and there's the Kaiju worshippers out there that we saw some of in the first movie. And there's a criminal element. You know, everyone is looking to capitalize off the technology that the [Pan Pacific Defense Corps] has spearheaded. So there's some nefarious activities out there -- I can't say exactly what's going on, but that other Jaeger's pretty badass.
Obviously, Steven S. DeKnight wasn't able to tell me the specifics of the situation, but it sounds like Jaeger's aren't exclusively for the good guys anymore. Pacific Rim Uprising takes place 10 years after the events of the first movie. In that time, humanity has enjoyed a time of relative peace (compared to what they had to deal with before, at least) and have greatly advanced the technology of the Jaegers -- we're talking gravity beams and holograms here! Problem is, that technology has found its way into the wrong hands.
Some may remember that in the first film there were Kaiju Cultists -- people who saw the Kaiju as a punishment for mankind's sins and despised the Jaegers. There is also a black market for Kaiju organs and body parts, a resource that was likely lacking over these past 10 years. It stands to reason that these groups have a lot to gain with the reemergence of the Kaiju and would want to stop the PPDC from, you know, killing them all.
As for the sword-wielding Jaeger itself, Steven S. DeKnight was able to tell me that the robot's name has not been revealed yet, BUT you might be able to find it if you scour your toy store shelves soon.
He has a name. I can't say what it is -- I don't know if I can... It might have been released in the toy stuff yet, but I'm not sure.
People are now capable of building their own Jaegers in Uprising and some nefarious group has used this technology for themselves. We don't know the exact specifics or the probably really cool name of the mystery black Jaeger, but they are definitely human and definitely bad. John Boyega's character Jake Pentecost will be involved in some underworld dealings when the movie opens, so could he have a connection to the evil Jaeger? I wouldn't rule it out.
Pacific Rim Uprising seems to have everything people loved about the first movie: big, unique robots and literally huge fight scenes. This time around, monsters aren't the only enemy. The sequel is scheduled to hit theaters on March 23, 2018. Until then, learn everything you can about the blockbuster with our comprehensive guide.
