Three years after the second installment, Guillermo del Toro insists he has no plans for a Pacific Rim 3. Acclaimed director del Toro broke into the monster blockbuster realm in 2013 with Pacific Rim, an original sci-fi tale that introduced the concept of Jaegers, giant robots controlled by two human pilots fighting a war against the Kaiju. It starred Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, and Idris Elba. Though not an overwhelming box office success, Pacific Rim performed reasonably well and earned positive reviews from audiences. A sequel, Pacific Rim: Uprising, was released five years later and starred John Boyega.
Pacific Rim: Uprising garnered a more mixed response from critics and audiences, and it struggled to match its predecessor in terms of box office returns. As a result, it soon became unclear if the Pacific Rim franchise would earn a third installment. In the months following Pacific Rim: Uprising's release, director Steven S. DeKnight (who took over from del Toro) hinted at story ideas for a third Pacific Rim, saying it would be about "getting the band back together." Even then, though, he admitted he didn't know what would happen with Pacific Rim 3.
Now del Toro has commented on the matter, and his words leave little in question. After sharing his interest in seeing a Pacific Rim and MonsterVerse (which houses Legendary's Godzilla and Kong movies) crossover on social media, del Toro clarified that this is not an idea for a third movie. In fact, he has no plans at the moment to revisit Pacific Rim, writing, "Talking only as a fan BTW - NO plans to return."
This will surely come as a disappointment for Pacific Rim fans, particularly since it looked like there was a lot more story to tell within this world. The ending of Pacific Rim: Uprising left some threads dangling, and DeKnight also hinted fan favorite character Mako Mori's (Kikuchi) storyline is incomplete. It seems more likely that the lack of a Pacific Rim 3 isn't due to story problems, but because of behind the scenes matters like box office returns. In that sense, it's especially disappointing that a world with so much potential has to be cut short because of money.
Of course, Pacific Rim isn't entirely finished just yet, though it will continue on in a different medium. Sometime this year, Netflix will release Pacific Rim: The Black, an original anime expanding upon the two movies. Perhaps if that series gets a great deal of attention, there could be further animated spin-offs. Or, in an even more intriguing scenario, maybe Legendary will opt to bring Pacific Rim into their MonsterVerse, which is growing to new heights this year with Godzilla vs. Kong. Del Toro might not be planning for Pacific Rim 3 right now, but in the entertainment industry, anything could happen. It just might take some time before something new comes of it.
Source: Guillermo del Toro/Twitter