‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ Set Photo Reveals Some Returning Favorites and Also Maybe Karl Urban

Aside from headliner John Boyega, there aren’t any “big” names in the Pacific Rim sequel, except for Scott Eastwood (who isn’t quite as well-known as his surname). Guillermo del Toro’s original plan for Uprising (previously titled Maelstrom) was for Charlie Day, Burn Gorman and Rinko Kikuchi to reprise their roles from the first film, but when Steven S. DeKnight took over directing duties, those plans became far less certain — and we’ve been left to wonder which characters, if any, might actually return. Thankfully, a new set photo helps clear things up a bit.

Update: /Film’s Peter Sciretta tweeted at Karl Urban about the Pacific Rim sequel, and here’s what he had to say:

Not sure why his name is on the call sheet, then, but there you go. Original story below…

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Last year, when Charlie Hunnam confirmed that he wouldn’t be returning for the Pacific Rim sequel, it was simultaneously suggested that Rinko Kikuchi’s return was just as unlikely — a real bummer since Kikuchi’s Mako Mori was the heart of del Toro’s film. But a seemingly innocuous set photo posted by cinematographer Dan Mindel delivers some good news:

At first glance, this photo doesn’t seem like much, but take another look: There’s a call sheet taped to the side of the camera, and it has some very interesting names: Burn Gorman, Charlie Day and Rinko Kikuchi. Gorman and Day have been heavily rumored for the sequel for a long time (and the only actors del Toro confirmed as part of his original sequel plan), but Kikuchi’s return is a total surprise — and a welcome one, at that.

Although the top is cut off, we can assume “Jake” is played by John Boyega, and “Lambert” is Scott Eastwood’s character (you can see the first few letters in his name). Below that is newcomer Cailee Spaeny, whose character name is a bit trickier to make out — Amara, maybe?

There is one more surprising name, however: Karl Urban. It’s the first we’ve heard of his casting in the sequel, and while plot details remain under wraps (aside from the expected robots vs. Kaiju stuff), hopefully we’ll learn more in the coming months now that production is officially underway.

Pacific Rim: Uprising will hit theaters on February 23, 2018.