It took a little longer than expected to get a Pacific Rim sequel off the ground, but back in March, Pacific Rim Uprising finally arrived in theaters. While it wasn't received quite as critically and commercially well as its 2013 predecessor, Uprising laid the groundwork for another follow-up, but months later, there still hasn't been any word on if Pacific Rim 3 will actually happen. When CinemaBlend's own Sean O'Connell asked director Steven S. DeKnight if a third Jaeger vs. Kaiju tale is on the way, DeKnight said that while nothing is set in stone yet, he wants Pacific Rim 3 to be made, whether he's the one overseeing it or not. DeKnight responded:
You are asking the wrong monkey, my friend. That is so far above my pay grade. I have heard nothing. That is up to the executives and the bean counters. I certainly hope so. I hope, with or without me -- because my schedule is starting to get a little complicated -- that there's a third installment because I would love to see it. I think the franchise deserves to be finished. Whether or not it made enough money, I honestly have no idea. Long ago, I kind of disconnected myself to any kind of box office worry. Things like that are kind of out of my hand. But I certainly hope so. I have heard nothing, but I hope there's installment.
Steven S DeKnight inheriting the Pacific Rim directing reins from Guillermo del Toro, but it sounds like even if Pacific Rim 3 does get the green light, he might not necessarily retain that position due to his schedule becoming busier (and might potentially include a God of War movie). Regardless, DeKnight hasn't kept track of Pacific Rim Uprising's box office performance (it only made $290 million worldwide), but he's hopeful that Universal will give this franchise a proper conclusion, though he's also talked in the past about how Pacific Rim 3 could be the springboard for a full-blown shared universe. For now, though, such a decision is out of his hands, and there's no timetable on when Universal will provide a Pacific Rim 3 update.
Warning: SPOILERS for Pacific Rim Uprising are ahead!
Just like with the first movie, Pacific Rim Uprising ended with humanity thwarting another Kaiju invasion. Except this time around, it was characters like John Boyega's Jake Pentecost, Scott Eastwood's Nate Lambert and Cailee Spaeny's Amara Namani who led the charge. However, during the sequel, it was revealed that the Kaiju were created by the Precursors, and at the end of the movie, the imprisoned Precursor Emissary, who had taken over Dr. Newton Geiszler's mind, declared that they would keep attacking Earth until they successfully destroyed it. Jake responded that next time it would be humanity attacking the Precursors, suggesting that Pacific Rim 3 might see our heroes traveling to the Precursor homeworld to take care of these alien menaces once and for all.
Pacific Rim Uprising is now available for digital purchase, and the Blu-ray and DVD copies will hit shelves on June 19. Rest assured, if there's any major news concerning Pacific Rim 3, we here at CinemaBlend will be sure to let you know about it. In the meantime, be sure to look through our 2018 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out this year.
