Just when you thought it was over, the continuing saga of Universal and Legendary's relationship takes its toll on their 2017 movies. In the middle is the fate of Pacific Rim 2 - something that remains up in the air, while Universal favors acapella groups over kaiju and jaegar fights.

Previously, the strained relationship between Universal and Legendary was reported to have led the Pacific Rim sequel to be put on “indefinite hold”. Today, Universal announced that the project - for the time being - no longer has an official release date. Meanwhile, the studio has filled the August 4th, 2017 previously held by Pacific Rim 2 with the next installment in its hit Pitch Perfect franchise, Pitch Perfect 3.

Here is the official statement from Universal and Legendary, regarding Pacific Rim 2's delay:

The filmmakers, Legendary and Universal Pictures are committed to having [PACIFIC RIM 2] be the vanguard, fully-immersive experience that the franchise deserves. To this end, the decision was made to delay the production and release of PACIFIC RIM 2 so that the creative team can continue in its efforts to exceed the amazing experience of the first film.

In the meantime, co-writer/director Guillermo del Toro will be keeping himself busy with promoting his Gothic horror/romance homage Crimson Peak and then directing a smaller film thereafter. In a recent interview with Variety, del Toro mentioned that his next project will be a small, independently financed movie that he is keeping under wraps. This is presumably the same indie project that the filmmaker mentioned back in 2014 - a project he then described as being a small black and white movie that will be "really, really bizarre."

With the Pacific Rim sequel pushed to an undisclosed date, it gives one reason to worry about the film's eventual fate. After all, the sequel was only green-lit after Pacific Rim had more than tripled its U.S. box office gross around the world, resulting in a $411 million global take compared to the $190 million budget. That by no means makes Pacific Rim a failure, but it does mean the sequel is less of a no-brainer compared to other projects the studios have in the pipeline (the Jurassic World sequel being an obvious example).

Even though Pacific Rim 2 now does not have an official release date, it does not mean that fans should give up hope. After all, del Toro claimed they're about to submit the screenplay and a budget, so Universal and Legendary might just be switching the schedule ahead of time. For now, though, Pacific Rim 2 will have to wait in development purgatory.

We’ll keep you updated on Pacific Rim 2's status as more information is made available.

Source: Universal/Legendary, Variety