John Boyega is ‘very excited’ to play lead in ‘Pacific Rim’ sequel

John Boyega is "very excited" to play the lead in ‘Pacific Rim: Maelstrom’.
The 24-year-old actor is set to play the son of Stacker Pentecost – who will be portrayed by Idris Elba – in the upcoming sequel and is delighted to have been given the opportunity to work with director Steven S. Deknight.
On Monday (06.06.16) he tweeted: "I’ll be taking on the Pacific Rim franchise with Steven S.Deknight directing. Very excited! (sic)"
Guillermo Del Toro – who directed the first movie in the franchise – has written the screenplay for the new film and welcomed the ‘Star Wars’ actor to the team in a statement also released on Monday.
He said: "I am very proud and happy to welcome John into a fantastic sandbox. The ‘Pacific Rim’ universe will be reinforced with him as a leading man as it continues to be a multicultural, multi-layered world. ‘The World saving the world’ was our goal and I couldn’t think of a better man for the job."
‘Pacific Rim’ was released in cinemas in 2013 and there has been talk of a sequel ever since, but doubt was cast over whether it would actually make it into production after the original fetched $411 million at the box office.
Over the last 12 months, momentum for a sequel built, and more so after DeKnight, who directed ‘Spartacus’ and ‘Daredevil’, signed up to helm the title.
According to IMDB, ‘Pacific Rim: Maelstrom’ will be continue the story set in ‘Pacific Rim’, which centred on a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures.
A former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.
Legendary Pictures has teamed up with Universal Pictures for the sequel. No further details have been released yet but Del Toro has hinted there could be a third film in the series.
Production is expected to start at the end of 2016 as Boyega has a hectic schedule as he will reprise his role as Finn in both ‘Star Wars Episode VIII’ and ‘Star Wars Episode IX’.
Fans who are eager to see Boyega in action will be inundated with opportunities, for he will next be seen alongside ‘Forrest Gump’ star Tom Hanks and ‘Harry Potter’s’ Emma Watson in ‘The Circle’ and he will also be voicing a rabbit alongside ‘Jungle Book’ star Sir Ben Kingsley in the BBC’s remake of ‘Watership Down’.