We haven’t seen any official looks at Pacific Rim: Uprising — until now. Actor John Boyega just posted a photo from the sequel with a message reading, “I am Pentecost 2018 #PacificRimUprising.” The photo seems to confirm that he’ll be playing the son of Stacker Pentecost, Idris Elba’s character from the first Pacific Rim movie. But it also seems to hint at where the Jaeger program is in the sequel, and it doesn’t look good.
We’re not entirely sure that this photo is from the inside of a Jaeger, otherwise known as the gigantic robots that fight monstrous creatures known as Kaiju, but it sure looks that way. Boyega’s character’s conspicuous civilian clothes, as opposed to the sophisticated mech suit worn by Jaeger pilots, hints that the younger Pentecost isn’t a full-fledged ace like his father was.
In Pacific Rim lore, Jaegers are designed to be piloted by two humans locked together in a neural bridge. Boyega’s lone figure sitting amongst scattered debris in this photo makes us think the Jaeger program might be in trouble.
That means when the events of Pacific Rim: Uprising starts, the Kaiju are gaining ground in the battle versus mankind.
This is pure speculation at this point, but it will be fascinating to see how the sequel addresses the absence of original stars like Elba and Gipsy Danger pilot Charlie Hunnam. The first movie’s other pilot, Rinko Kikuchi, is back this time. So she’ll most likely be showing Boyega’s younger Pentecost the ropes of kicking Kaiju ass.
This is just the beginning, but we’ll get to see how many Kaiju go down when Pacific Rim: Uprising hits theaters on February 23, 2018.
