We won’t be seeing John Boyega as a Wakandan in 2018, however we will be seeing him in another franchise besides Star Wars. It’s been announced that he will play the leading man in Legendary Pictures’ follow up to Pacific Rim, the futuristic science-fiction film directed by Guillermo del Toro back in 2013.
Steven S. DeKnight will be in the director’s chair for the sequel. Boyega’s character is described as the son to Stacker Pentecost, Idris Elba’s character in the previous film.
John hopped on Twitter to make sure everyone knew this news was legit.
I’ll be taking on the Pacific Rim franchise with Steven S.Deknight directing. Very excited!
— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) June 6, 2016
And then came the reactions.
“John Boyega will play the son of the character played by Idris Elba” #PacificRim2 pic.twitter.com/Ypx76w5PBO
— Lauren Warren (@iamlaurenp) June 6, 2016
THIS IS THE SECOND BEST DAY OF MY LIFE (THE BEST DAY WILL BE THE DAY THE MOVIE COMES OUT) https://t.co/t0BvPNH9sH
— Books (@SunshineDuk) June 6, 2016
Of note, Boyega will not only star in “Pacific Rim 2” but is also a producer along with @MrFemiOguns… pic.twitter.com/G06x136rkv
— Dora Milaje (@FilmFatale_NYC) June 6, 2016
Idris Elba and John Boyega playing father and son aka this is what the dreams are made of pic.twitter.com/iPN1WWKodQ
— laura !!exams!! (@daisyrdley) June 6, 2016
There hasn’t been any talk of who else is confirmed in the Pacific Rim 2 cast, but it’s clear that fans are crossing their fingers for the return of Idris Elba so the two Brits can act on screen together. When asked about his thoughts on Boyega’s addition to the cast Guillermo del Toro said, “I am very proud and happy to welcome John into a fantastic sandbox. The Pacific Rim universe will be reinforced with him as a leading man as it continues to be a multicultural, multi-layered world. ‘The World saving the world’ was our goal and I couldn’t think of a better man for the job.”
