Pacific Rim 2 Adds Chinese Cast Member, Sets Filming Dates & Locations

CBR

By Jacob Hill

Published Sep 22, 2016

Pacific Rim 2 pre-production is well underway as the film has locked down its filming locations and dates, in addition to finalizing its cast, which will now includes Jing Tian.

Joining star John Boyega, Jing Tian has boarded the cast of the upcoming "Pacific Rim" sequel (via Variety).

Although not widely known in the U.S., Jing has been seen alongside Jackie Chan in "Police Story: Lockdown," and will make appearances in the upcoming "Kong: Skull Island" and the joint Chinese/Hollywood produced "The Great Wall," co-starring Matt Damon.

It is not yet known who Jing is playing in "Pacific Rim 2," or if her character is connected to any of the characters from the first movie. Boyega is confirmed to be playing the son of Idris Elba's Stacker Pentecost, and will be continuing the family tradition of cancelling apocalypses.

Filming starts this November, and true to the title of the film, will mostly take place in Australia and China. Despite being celebrated by critics, the movie under-performed in the United States box office, which rose concerns that the film might not get a sequel. However, it performed much better in international markets, taking in three times as much money -- mostly from China.

"Pacific Rim" was one of the first movies to earn itself a sequel based mostly on overseas success. More recently, films like "Warcraft" have proven that there is a sizable film audience outside of America. Jing Tian's casting is consistent with the international cast of the first "Pacific Rim," but it also represents the shifting strategy in Hollywood.

"Pacific Rim 2" is directed by Steven S. DeKnight, and in addition to Boyega, stars Cailee Spaeny and Scott Eastwood. "Pacific Rim 2" hits theaters on February 23, 2018.