In the immediate years after Pacific Rim was released, the plan was for Guillermo del Toro to remain in the director’s chair.
However, eventually he reached a point where the shooting schedule for Pacific Rim: Uprising conflicted with his plans for working on The Shape of Water.
So while del Toro is still attached to the sequel as a producer, he decided to hand off directing duties to Steven DeKnight, the man behind Spartacus and Daredevil Season 1.
Even when Universal delayed the movie, del Toro was determined to see it be made, and by early 2016, the sequel was back on after he presented the studio with a script and budget.