In addition to playing Finn in the current Star Wars trilogy, John Boyega his building up his blockbuster profile by starring in the upcoming Pacific Rim Uprising. We've know for a while that his character, Jake Pentecost, is the son of Idris Elba's Stacker Pentecost, who sacrificed himself to save humanity in Pacific Rim. But as it turns out, Jake is also connected to Stacker's ally from the first movie, Rinko Kikuchi's Mako Mori, though they don't share a friendly connection, as Mako is the reason Jake left the Jaeger program.
When we first meet Jake Pentecost in Pacific Rim Uprising, he's making ends meet as a black market retailer, having left the Jaeger program before the events of Pacific Rim. Originally considered the "prodigal son," Jake was expected to become a great Jaeger pilot, but his strained relationship with his father complicated things. Eventually Jake and Stacker had a falling out, with the former particular bothered by how the latter placed more faith and hope in Mako Mori. As John Boyega put it in his interview with EW:
He felt he never lived up to his father's expectations and so he decided to leave the Jaeger program and start stealing for a living.
Fast-forward to Pacific Rim Uprising, Mako has been looking after Jake despite their awkward history, but when he and fellow newcomer Amara Namani (played by Cailee Spaeny) get into a spot of trouble that even Mako can't fix, the duo are given one of two choices: go to jail or enter the Jaeger program to aid in the latest conflict with the Kaiju. For Jake, this means putting his old skills back to good use and teaching the newer Jaeger pilots what he knows. Jake also reunite with his old friend Lambert (played by Scott Eastwood) to co-pilot the Gipsy Avenger Jaeger.
Mako Mori fought alongside Charlie Hunnam in the first Pacific Rim movie, but with a decade having passed since those events and Hunnam not reprising his role in Uprising, it appears that Mako is transitioning into a mentorship role to ensure that Jake is living up to his potential. However, with the Kaiju having significantly evolved since last time, don't be surprised if Mako ends up jumping back into one of the improved Jaegers to better ensure that humanity isn't destroyed by this latest attack.
If you haven't already caught it, you can watch the new Pacific Rim Uprising trailer below to get a better idea of what the sequel will have to offer.
Pacific Rim Uprising hits theaters on March 23, 2018. Don't forget to also scan through our 2018 movie premiere guide to find out when your other anticipated releases of next year are coming out.
