Previously stealing the spotlight with his appearance as Raleigh Becket in 2013’s Pacific Rim, Charlie Hunnam notably remained absent from its sequel, Pacific Rim Uprising (2018). Although protagonists quitting on their appearance in sequels is quite common, it still raises questions. Even for Hunnam’s character, fans were baffled by his absence.
Following Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 film Pacific Rim, where Charlie Hunnam’s character was pulled out of retirement to team up with a young rookie to save the planet from colossal alien monsters, he remained purposefully missing from the sequels. Stating his reasons during an interview with Yahoo, Hunnam discussed studio politics and several conflicts that abstained him from joining the $700M franchise any further.
Charlie Hunnam Refused To Return To Pacific Rim Franchise
Following the box office success of Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim (2013), the movie mesmerized its audience with the epic monster and extraterrestrial fights. However, following the sequel Pacific Rim Uprising (2018) two notable key figures remained absent from the film – Guillermo del Toro and Charlie Hunnam.
Appearing in the prequel as the Jaeger pilot Raleigh Becket, Charlie Hunnam stole the spotlight and helped the film make a modest box-office success. Rising from his retirement to team up with a young rookie, Hunnam’s character fought off the Kaiju, the alien monsters from an interdimensional realm.
Saving the planet from alien invasion, Charlie Hunnam became a notable face of the franchise. However, his decision to quit made it difficult for the studio heads to explain it during the sequels. Previously swinging the blame at scheduling conflicts, Hunnam later revealed the actual reason behind his decision.
Refusing to return to the $700M franchise, Hunnam cited his reasons during the interview with Yahoo at Comic-Con.
Charlie Hunnam Discussed His Reason For His Absence
Simply mentioned as a hero from the first war, Charlie Hunnam’s character Raleigh Becket makes it in a passing speech from Jake in Pacific Rim Uprising. Mentioned alongside Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) and Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba), Becket is implied as a fallen hero, like the other two. Yet his omission from the film appeared quite big, especially after his character helped save the world in the prequel.
Director Steven S. DeKnight previously proposed a vague explanation regarding Charlie Hunnam‘s absence. He mentioned, “The only reason Charlie Hunnam’s not in this movie is a scheduling problem.” However, later on during the Comic-Con, Hunnam himself addressed his absence and explained his reasons. “They have a very definite schedule that they have to film because of the, you know, politics and business surrounding filmmaking”. Hunnam stated
“Sometimes non-creative decisions will dictate how something unfolds, which seems bass-ackwards in fact that we’re making art, or at least aspiring to make art” Charlie Hunnam stated with clarity.
Having issues with studio politics and non-creative decisions, the actor thus decided to quit his role. Although approached to reprise as hero Raleigh Becket in Steven S. DeKnight’s Pacific Rim Uprising, Hunnam clearly denied working with the $700M franchise for his very specific reasons. However, despite his conflicts, Hunnam still very much rooted for the sequel and expressed his excitement over it.
Watch the entire Pacific Rim franchise on Amazon Prime.
Source: Yahoo
