After years of uncertainty, “Pacific Rim 2” now has an official release date as well as a filming location. Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's colorful kaiju vs. mech film “Pacific Rim” hit theaters in 2013 to mostly solid reviews but shaky box office. Del Toro's film was intended to kick off a franchise, serving as a terrific piece of world building, but the box office results had made uncertain the possibility of further sequels.

Del Toro remains involved as a key producer on “Pacific Rim 2”, and it has been announced that Chinese actress Jing Tian is joining the cast with confirmation that production begins this November in Australia, with principal photography also planned to take place in China.

John Boyega is leading the cast of the sequel and producing, though it's as-yet unclear if the sequel will have the original cast members. Though it has been confirmed that Charlie Hunnam is not returning, del Toro recently stated that 'a lot' of the cast from the first movie will indeed be returning, adding that “Pacific Rim 2” expands the universe by focusing on the post-war setting.

With a firm November start-date now set, the is slated for release on February 23, 2018.