Breakout Star Wars actor John Boyega is living a Hollywood fairytale. After being plucked from relative obscurity to play a leading role in last year’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens—in which he was widely applauded for his charming, funny performance—he’s just landed his next big-deal contract. This time, he’ll be starring in the next installment of Pacific Rim, another major action blockbuster.
The plot: giant sea creatures vs. humanity, aided by giant robots. Boyega’s Star Wars experience should make him feel right at home.
The first Pacific Rim, released in 2013, was directed by Guillermo del Toro and starred Idris Elba. In Pacific Rim 2, Boyega will play Elba’s son, Deadline reports.
“I am very proud and happy to welcome John into a fantastic sandbox. The Pacific Rim universe will be reinforced with him as a leading man as it continues to be a multicultural, multi-layered world,” del Toro said.
Boyega tweeted his excitement on Monday afternoon:
And the production company he founded will also be in on the action:
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