Guillermo Del Toro Says He's Still Attached To 'Pacific Rim 2'; New Release Date To Be Revealed Soon?

A new release date for "Pacific Rim 2" may be announced soon as director Guillermo del Toro announced that he's still involved with the film.

On Monday, del Toro esponded to the reports that "Pacific Rim 2" has been dropped from Legendary's slate of upcoming releases.

The "Book of Life" director was expected to have followed last year's "Crimson Peak" with "Pacific Rim 2," but reports from last week revealed that he was being sought to develop a remake of 1966's "Fantastic Voyage" for 20th Century Fox instead.

It's obvious that "Pacific Rim 2" has been stuck in development hell for quite some time now. The sequel went through a rough patch last year when Universal cancelled its initial release date and halted production "indefinitely." Shortly after, Legendary and Universal released a statement explaining the delay.

"The filmmakers, Legendary and Universal Pictures are committed to having PACIFIC RIM 2, the sequel to 2013's PACIFIC RIM, which generated more $411 million at the global box office, be the vanguard, fully-immersive experience that the franchise deserves.  To this end, the decision was made to delay the production and release of PACIFIC RIM 2 so that the creative team can continue in its efforts to exceed the amazing experience of the first film."

Universal later announced that "Pacific Rim 2" no longer had a release date, replacing it with "Pitch Perfect 2" on their calendar of releases.

One of the rumored reasons why the Guillermo del Toro's "Pacific Rim 2" isn't progressing is the imminent purchase of Legendary's shares by Chinese property and development conglomerate, Wanda. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the majority of the first installment's earnings in the global market came from China, making it possible that the future Chinese owners will eventually greenlight the sequel.

Producers have yet to announce a final release date for "Pacific Rim 2."