With Pacific Rim: Uprising's production finally underway, fans of monsters and giant robots thought that they couldn't get any more excited for the upcoming sci-fi showdown. They were dead wrong about that. We have known for quite some time that the upcoming Pacific Rim sequel would bring in a whole slew of new performers into the mix, but one recent theory even suggested the possibility that Star Trek veteran Karl Urban may get in on the action as well. That is one rumor that has officially taken the Internet by storm, but according to Urban: you should not believe everything you read online. The actor tweeted:
Karl Urban took to his personal Twitter account earlier today to shut down rumors suggesting the possibility that he's somehow involved in the production of Pacific Rim: Uprising. The story began when cinematographer Dan Mindel posted a photo from the set of the upcoming sequel that appeared to feature Urban's name on a piece of paper attached to a camera. Sci-fi fans quickly flocked to the idea of this silver screen icon taking part in the upcoming Kaiju adventure, but now it seems that our hopes have been dashed.
Check out Dan Mindel's Instagram post below to see the picture for yourself. The name resembling Karl Urban's is highlighted in pink:
Looking at that photo, it's not hard to imagine how people became confused and giddy about the possible casting development. Full disclosure: we got insanely excited for a moment because Karl Urban would've been perfect for a movie like Pacific Rim: Uprising. The guy has pretty much defined his career with impressive performances in hard sci-fi projects such as Dredd and Star Trek. He even managed to bring his own distinct amount of charm to more lackluster properties like Doom and The Chronicles of Riddick. That takes raw talent. Urban has consistently delivered fan-favorite performances in a genre that's typically a hard sell for mainstream audiences, and if granted the opportunity to star in the upcoming Pacific Rim sequel, he would've knocked it out of the park.
It's ultimately a massive shame that Karl Urban does not have a role in Pacific Rim: Uprising, but that doesn't change the fact that we're still incredibly excited about the film. If it can come even remotely close to matching the sheer intensity and fun of the original, then we are guaranteed to enjoy ourselves -- with or without the immense talent of Mr. Urban.
CinemaBlend will bring you any and all relevant updates pertaining to the production and release of Pacific Rim: Uprising. The highly anticipated sequel is currently slated to hit theaters on February 23, 2018.
