Legendary Entertainment has tapped Chinese action film star Zhang Jin for “Pacific Rim 2,” joining Jing Tiang, John Boyega, Scott Eastwood and Cailee Spaeny.
Other Chinese actors in the sequel, which has been filming in Australia, include Wesley Wong, Lily Ji, Chen Zitong, Lan Yingying and Qian Yong Chen with cameos by Xiao Yang and Korean actor Kim Jeong-Hoon.
Steven S. DeKnight is directing, based on the world created by Guillermo del Toro and Travis Beacham. Thomas Tull, Mary Parent, Jon Jashni, and del Toro are producing along with Boyega and Femi Oguns under their Upper Room Productions shingle. Cale Boyter and Eric McLeod are executive producers.
"We are very excited that we have such amazing Chinese talent joining us on ‘Pacific Rim’ our new story has a strong connection to China and this great Chinese cast will help us bring it to life,” said Dr. Jack Gao, an exec with Beijing Wanda Cultural Industry Group, which owns Legendary Entertainment.
Zhang Jin’s credits include “The Grandmaster,” “Ip Man 3,” “SPL 2,” “The Man from Macau” and “Kill Zone 2.” He was Zhang Ziyi’s stunt double in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
The film will be released Feb. 23, 2018 by Universal Pictures around the world with the exception of China.
"Pacific Rim” was set in the near future with Earth at war with monsters that emerged from an interdimensional portal at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The movie went on to gross more than $410 million at the worldwide box office and starred Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Idris Elba, Charlie Day and Robert Kazinsky.
Plot details are vague on the sequel other than Boyega playing the son of Elba’s character, who sacrificed his life in the original film.