Pacific Rim: Uprising is well into the production phase with director Steven S. DeKnight. In addition to DeKnight replacing Guillermo del Toro in the director’s chair, much of the cast for the sequel is new to the series. One of the few returning Pacific Rim cast members is Charlie Day, who recently praised the work of DeKnight and the new cast, led by Star Wars: The Force Awakens star John Boyega.

Taking on a new starring role in Pacific Rim: Uprising, Boyega will portray Jake Pentecost, the son of Idris Elba’s Pacific Rim character Stacker Pentecost. Boyega recently enjoyed a surprise 25th birthday celebration with the rest of the Pacific Rim: Uprising cast, which also includes newcomers like Scott Eastwood and Adria Arjona. Now, Boyega can put his Pacific Rim experience in the rearview mirror.

Boyega tweeted a photo of himself on Tuesday to confirm that he’s wrapped filming his scenes for the sequel. “It’s been an amazing six months! That’s a wrap on #PacificRimUprising,” his tweet reads. Boyega’s math may be a little off, though - he posted to his Instagram account that he had arrived for his first day of filming on Nov. 9, 2016, which would make his total time on set less than four months.

Not much is known about Boyega’s character at this point, beyond the fact that he plays the son of Stacker Pentecost and that set photos reveal him to be another Jaegar pilot. Another set photo posted by Boyega shows the actor inside what appears to be his Jaegar suit, which may have been revealed in recent Pacific Rim: Uprising concept art.

Based on Boyega’s star-making turn as Finn in The Force Awakens, he has a chance to be Pacific Rim: Uprising’s most compelling lead character. He showed the kind of charisma and sense of humor that’s to be expected from leading men with his performance in The Force Awakens, which will likely continue in the eighth Star Wars installment, The Last Jedi. His new role in the Pacific Rim franchise has a good chance to be a strong follow-up to Star Wars for the young star.

There’s little doubt about Boyega’s ability to deliver a magnetic performance as Jake Pentecost in Pacific Rim: Uprising, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the film would be as memorable as Boyega has a chance to be. The first Pacific Rim did well at the box office, but garnered mixed reviews and didn’t have as much success in North America as it did in international markets. Still, Boyega’s newfound popularity from the Star Wars franchise could change that when Pacific Rim: Uprising hits theaters.

Source: John Boyega