Guillermo del Toro didn't direct Pacific Rim Uprising, the sequel to his 2013 sci-fi film. One of the reasons being the studio not making a payment on time.

Speaking to Collider, del Toro recalled the pre-production process of Pacific Rim Uprising. “We were getting ready to do it, it was different from the first, but it had a continuation of many of the things that I was trying to do,” he said. “Then what happened is — I mean, this is why life's crazy, right?” — they had to give a deposit for the [sound]stages at 5pm or we would lose the stages in Toronto for many months.”

He continued, “So I said, ‘Don't forget we're gonna lose the stages,' and five o'clock came and went, and we lost the stages. They said, ‘Well, we can shoot it in China.' And I go, ‘What do you mean?' [laughs] ‘I've gotta go do [The] Shape of Water.'”

Furthermore, del Toro didn't even see the Pacific Rim sequel. “I didn't see the final movie because that's like watching home movies from your ex-wife. It is terrible if they're good and worse if they're bad, or the opposite,” he said. “You don't wanna know. So, I didn't see it. I did read the final script, and it was very different. Some of the elements were the same but very different.”

Steven S. DeKnight took over the directors' chair for del Toro. The film starred John Boyega and Scott Eastwood, who took over the lead roles from Charlie Hunnam and Idris Elba in the first film. Pacific Rim made over $400 million during its theatrical run. Five years later, Uprising hit theaters and made just $290 million during its theatrical run.

Guillermo del Toro jumped from the Pacific Rim ship to The Shape of Water. Perhaps it was a good call, as The Shape of Water made $195 million on a $19.5 million budget. Additionally, it was nominated for 13 Oscars, including wins for Best Picture and Best Director for del Toro.