Back in 2013, Guillermo del Toro captivated audiences worldwide with “Pacific Rim,” a blockbuster that stands as the director’s most commercially successful film. Set in a dystopian future where massive interdimensional creatures known as Kaiju threaten coastal cities, humanity fights back with Jaegers—enormous, human-piloted robots. The movie follows the journey of pilots Raleigh Becket (played by Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) as they co-pilot the Jaeger named Gipsy Danger. Their mission, led by Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba), is nothing short of “cancelling the apocalypse.”
With its adrenaline-pumping action, “Pacific Rim” quickly became a global sensation, earning a cult following and drawing comparisons to the iconic mecha anime series “Neon Genesis Evangelion.” Its sequel, “Pacific Rim Uprising,” directed by Steven S. DeKnight, hit theaters in 2018. While Rinko Kikuchi reprised her role as Mako, Charlie Hunnam’s Raleigh was notably absent. The prospect of a third installment remains uncertain, but Hunnam has one stipulation for his return: Guillermo del Toro must helm the project. “I would do anything that Guillermo was doing,” Hunnam shared in an Inverse interview, expressing his eagerness to work with the director again.
Despite strong performances from newcomers John Boyega and Cailee Spaeny, “Pacific Rim Uprising” was criticized for being a lackluster shadow of its predecessor. Fans were left puzzled over the absence of Hunnam’s Raleigh Becket. In a 2020 interview with Collider, Hunnam revealed that he was initially in talks to join the sequel when del Toro was still involved, but scheduling conflicts arose once “Uprising” finally entered production. But what caused the delay?
Del Toro’s departure from the sequel was due to a logistical oversight by the studio, which failed to secure the necessary sound stages with a deposit. “They had to give a deposit for the stages by 5 PM, or we would lose them in Toronto for months,” del Toro explained to Collider. When the deadline passed, the stages were lost. Although the studio attempted to salvage the situation, proposing a move to China, del Toro chose to prioritize his work on “The Shape of Water,” thus exiting from “Pacific Rim 2.”
Del Toro left the Pacific Rim sequel after a clerical error
Euan Cherry/Shutterstock
Ultimately, “The Shape of Water” emerged as a resounding success, clinching Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director, elevating del Toro’s artistic reputation. However, this victory offers scant comfort to “Pacific Rim” enthusiasts who missed out on a del Toro-directed sequel due to a simple clerical error. Del Toro himself has yet to watch “Pacific Rim Uprising,” likening it to “watching home movies from your ex-wife.”
Fans will be frustrated to know that del Toro left the sequel because the studio forgot to put a deposit down on the required sound stages. “They had to give a deposit for the stages at 5PM or we would lose the stages in Toronto for many months,” del Toro told Collider. “So I said, ‘Don’t forget, we’re going to lose the stages,’ and 5 o’clock came and went, and we lost the stages.” While the studio tried to make it work with del Toro (even suggesting moving the shoot to China), he decided that there wouldn’t be enough time for him to do both the “Pacific Rim” follow-up and “The Shape of Water,” so he exited the project.
Of course, “The Shape of Water” became a big hit. The romantic fantasy film won best picture and best director at the Academy Awards, bringing del Toro new levels of artistic and critical success. That’s little consolation for “Pacific Rim” fans, however, who lost out on a del Toro-directed “Pacific Rim” sequel over a clerical error. To this day, the Mexican filmmaker hasn’t seen “Pacific Rim Uprising.” He said it would be like “watching home movies from your ex-wife.”
