Fans knew that Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam would not be returning to Pacific Rim Uprising, but they were more curious about Rinko Kikuichi's character Mako Mori. When John Boyega was announced as the new lead, no news was revealed about Kikuichi or the fate of her character. Now that Legendary and Universal have revealed the synopsis for the film, we can now say that Mako Mori will be returning for the sequel.
Boyega will be playing Jake Pentecost, the son of Idris Elba's Stacker Pentecost, who was once a promising Jaeger pilot who has now gotten himself involved with the criminal underworld. It turns out Mako is his adopted sister, who is giving him one more chance to live up to his father's legacy. It's an intriguing premise and one that could make the sequel more interesting, given the connection between Boyega and Elba's character.
Here is the full synopsis:
The globe-spanning conflict between otherworldly monsters of mass destruction and the human-piloted super-machines built to vanquish them was only a prelude to the all-out assault on humanity in Pacific Rim Uprising.
John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) stars as the rebellious Jake Pentecost, a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity's victory against the monstrous "Kaiju." Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father's legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi)—who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war. As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction.
Jake is joined by gifted rival pilot Lambert (The Fate of the Furious' Scott Eastwood) and 15-year-old Jaeger hacker Amara (newcomer Cailee Spaeny), as the heroes of the PPDC become the only family he has left. Rising up to become the most powerful defense force to ever walk the earth, they will set course for a spectacular all-new adventure on a towering scale.
Pacific Rim Uprising is directed by Steven S. DeKnight (Netflix's Daredevil, STARZ's Spartacus) and also stars Jing Tian, Burn Gorman, Adria Arjona and Charlie Day.
Having Mako leading the new Jaeger pilots is a good move since she was a fan favorite in the first film. She definitely had a character arc in the first Pacific Rim, so seeing her grow into this role for the sequel is fitting. Boyega's role is a little cliche, but given his acting chops, he can make it work.
Pacific Rim Uprising hits theaters next summer on May 2018. The first trailer will debut in New York Comic-Con.
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