John Boyega to Star in 'Pacific Rim' Sequel
by EG
If you thought that John Boyega would be content to let Star Wars carry his career from here on out, think again. The actor who portrayed rebel stormtrooper Finn in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens has just signed on to play the lead role in the sequel to 2013's Pacific Rim.
The film's producers announced this week that Boyega will portray the leading character in the sequel, but his character doesn't have a publicly announced name yet - and neither does the movie, for that matter. We do know, however, that Boyega will play the son of Stacker Pentacost, the character played by Idris Elba in the original film.
"I am very proud and happy to welcome John into a fantastic sandbox," said producer Guillermo del Toro of Boyega. "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."
The project will be directed by Steven S. DeKnight and is scheduled to begin production late this year. Its planned release date is August 4, 2017. The original film was something of a financial disappointment domestically, but it did go on to earn a respectable $309 million worldwide.