(Image: Universal Pictures)
"Pacific Rim: Uprising" is widely considered one of the most infamous sequels in recent memory. The disappointment wasn't just because the original's beloved director and lead actor didn't return; under new leadership, the final product suffered a steep decline in quality, feeling rushed at every turn. This critical and commercial failure ultimately stalled the development of a third film.
Now, more than seven years later, Steven S. DeKnight, who took over directing duties for "Uprising," was asked by a fan online what happened behind the scenes, and he candidly explained the reasons for the movie's failure.
In his response, DeKnight explained that he was offered the job and that it was difficult to turn down a $150 million film. He revealed that things started to go wrong after losing star Charlie Hunnam. Hunnam, whom DeKnight described as a great guy, had his passion project—the remake of "Papillon"—get greenlit with a conflicting production schedule.
(Image: Warner Bros. Pictures)
DeKnight continued, "We had to scrap the entire script we had developed, which was focused on the first movie's main characters — Raleigh and Herc — becoming Jaeger partners. We didn't have enough time to get the new script polished and fully prepped before shooting started. Tale as old as Hollywood! But I'm still incredibly grateful for the opportunity and learned so much, which I hope to apply to my next picture."
"Uprising" was met with a wave of negative reviews and earned just $290 million at the box office, a significant drop from the first film's $400 million-plus haul. However, this hasn't stopped the "Pacific Rim" universe from expanding. The franchise later continued with the Netflix animated series "Pacific Rim: The Black," and a live-action prequel series is currently in development at Amazon.