One of the more polarizing films of 2013 came from the mind of Guillermo del Toro with his kaiju-fighting robots film Pacific Rim. The film set in not too distant future brought about the creation of Jaegers, robots so big and powerful that it took two people to operate them. For the first film, Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi were the primary pilots that audiences followed, but it was Idris Elba’s Stacker Pentecost that caught their attention. His heroic acts saved the day the first time around, which leaves it up to his son (John Boyega) to carry on the legacy in the sequel, Pacific Rim: Uprising.

Since it was revealed that Boyega would playing the son of Elba, fans have wondered if that meant he too would put on the pilot suit and control a Jaeger of his own. A new set photo has seemingly confirmed that will be the case.

An Instagram user (via Scified) has been able to snap a photo of someone they think to be Boyega in costume during filming. The photo is too far away and blurry to be able to definitively say that it is Boyega, but it appears that this is the case. If this is not Boyega himself, it is also possible that this is just a stand-in for him (for lighting purposes) or his stunt double. No matter what the scenario is, it looks as if the Jaegar pilots have received re-designed suits for their next battle.

Is this #johnboyega? #pacificrim #pacifichighway #northsydney #weekend #sydney A photo posted by Teluga (@tessalucyy) on Jan 6, 2017 at 5:12pm PST

It is not entirely surprising that Boyega’s character appears to be following directly in the footsteps of his father to pilot a Jaeger of his own. Given how heroically Pentecost Senior fought in the line of duty, his son will likely be out to do the same in the sequel. Why this is the case or what they will be going up against continues to remain a secret. However, if Boyega truly is going to be piloting a Jaeger, it will be interesting to see who his co-pilot will be. Actor Scott Eastwood seems a likely contender for the role.

Boyega should be front and center throughout the entire film and the marketing once it starts later down the line, as both will look to use his recognition from Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens and Star Wars: Episode VIII to give the film a greater boost. It is no secret that the first movie did so-so business at the domestic box office, but overseas markets managed to prevent it from being a loss. Boyega’s presence should only help draw more people in who have become a fan of his through his portrayal of Finn and hopefully will result in Uprising being more successful than its predecessor.

Source: Instagram [via Scified]

  • Pacific Rim: Uprising Release Date: 2018-03-23