Guillermo Del Toro and Legendary Pictures have created a “Pacific Rim” attraction for Oculus Rift, the virtual reality glasses that Facbook paid $2 billion to bring in-house. An Oculus representative told TheWrap this was the first time such established figures in Hollywood crafted an experience specifically for virtual reality using assets from a major motion picture.
Some tech enthusiasts have branded virtual reality the future of movies, though Del Toro, the director of “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Hellboy,” sounded less certain.
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“It’s great for a single user,” Del Toro told TheWrap, citing video games as the ideal usage. Del Toro said it would work for “movies that are designed specifically as a ride.”
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Though Del Toro may not make “Pacific Rim 2” for virtual reality, the director, producer and effects enthusiast was eager to dabble in the new technology.
Fans at Comic-Con this weekend can visit Legendary’s booth to test out “Pacific Rim: Jaegar: Pilot,” which situates the viewer in the cockpit of the eponymous fighting machine. As you look around, you see your co-pilot, the interior of the Jaegar and an approaching kaiju (a classic monster).
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While every film studio is dabbling in virtual reality, Legendary has been one of the most aggressive in testing its potential uses.
“We’re invested in making ‘Pacific Rim’ a Transmedia franchise,” Barnaby Legg, Vice President of Theatrical Marketing at Legendary told TheWrap.”We don’t just want to make ancillary content.”
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Legg said Del Toro was involved in every aspect of the attraction, down to Charlie Hunnam‘s voiceover. Universal will release Del Toro’s sequel to “Pacific Rim” in 2017.
The Mexican filmmaker first has to finish his horror film “Crimson Peak,” the partner to “Pacific Rim” in Legendary’s Comic Con booth. Its presence is tangible as “Pacific Rim: Jaeger Pilot” is virtual. Del Toro constructed a three-story house for the film, and brought various props for fans to witness. Here’s Del Toro with the family crest (note the morbid skull):
