Whilst the anticipation has been steadily building for the sequel to Pacific Rim, it now seems that cinema audiences will have to wait an extra month to get their Jaeger fix. Universal has just announced that Pacific Rim Uprising has been pushed back exactly one month to March 2018.

The follow-up to Guillermo del Toro's original Robots vs. Kaiju movie has had a less-than-smooth journey to the big screen. After several delays it looked like it had been cancelled, with del Toro stepping away from directorial duties. However Daredevil showrunner Steven S. DeKnight took the reins, and a confirmed date was given for a release on February 23, 2018. The film was also given a boost with John Boyega joining the cast as the son of Idris Elba's character, along with Scott Eastwood, Jing Tian, Cailee Spaeny, Rinko Kikuchi, Burn Gorman, Adria Arjona and Charlie Day. The trailer at SDCC (which concentrated on the new Jaeger designs) was also promising. More recently Boyega has been confidently stating that the film will be "larger than life".

However, according to Deadline, the release date has now been officially changed to March 23, 2018. Whilst this isn't a huge change in terms of actual timespan, a reason for the shift isn't yet known. It also means that the film will be almost directly up against some other probable heavy-hitters at the box-office. This will place it on screens at the same weekend as Lionsgate's Robin Hood: Origins (with Jamie Foxx) and one week before Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One from Warner Bros. However, although the previous February date was a clear weekend for other releases, it was only a week after Black Panther, so there is some possible speculation that can be made there.

Principal photography completed back in March, so it's not clear whether any further reshoots or SFX work is needed. It's more likely that with the original film grossing $411M globally in 2013, the studios are keen to get as much awareness and attention as possible, and found this date to be preferable.

The plot and synopsis of the movie is not yet known, and there's been no footage of the monsters or battles so far. But Boyega at least has been keen to sell it as a "ultimate popcorn movie" with plenty of spectacle, whilst still retaining some of del Toro's ideas and imagery. With the promise of more earth-shaking fisticuffs between mechs and monsters, perhaps another month isn't too much to ask. We'll bring you more updates on Pacific Rim Uprising as we get them.

MORE: Pacific Rim Uprising Viral Site and Teaser Unveiled

Source: Deadline

Key Release Dates