Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, starring Star Wars’ John Boyega, has added another actor to the cast list, rounding out a fairly sizable Chinese cast.
Filming on Pacific Rim 2 began on November 9 and fans were certainly happy to see the film kick off following a slightly bumpy pre-production when Guillermo del Toro took a step back from directing duties.
Luckily, del Toro is still attached as an executive producer, and Steven S. DeKnight (Daredevil) has been more than happy to pick up the reins.
In addition to Boyega, the film will also star Scott Eastwood and Cailee Spaeny.
Now, according to Variety, Zhang Jin (Ip Man 3, above) is also part of the project, joining a slew of other Chinese actors, including Tian Jing, Wesley Wong, Lily Ji, Chen Zitong, Lan Yingying and Qian Yong Chen.
“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,” says Dr. Jack Gao, an exec with Beijing Wanda Cultural Industry Group, which owns Legendary Entertainment.
Little is known about the plot of Pacific Rim 2, so even learning that the story has a strong connection to China is new and relevant information. At the moment, we’re certain that Boyega’s character is playing the son of Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba), but not of much else.
The cast and crew are currently filming in Australia with an expected release date of February 23, 2018.