Guillermo del Toro is finalizing "Crimson Peak," but the questions for his next "Pacific Rim" film are in full swing.

The film, which is supposedly called "Pacific Rim: Maelstrom," is a follow-up to the successful film that debuted in 2013 under the Mexican auteur's direction.

Del Toro has not said much about the sequel to this point, though he did not mind lending some insight into which characters might be back for the next go-round.

"I think that everybody or most everybody that survived is back. The rest we killed. We killed half the cast," he stated according to Cinema Blend.

From that statement audiences can expect the following characters back: Heroes Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day), Gottlieb (Burn Gorman) and Ron Perlman's Hannibal Chau. That last character was presumed dead in the first film until a post-credit sequence revealed that he was, in fact, alive and kicking.

The one character that no one can hope for, however, is Idris Elba's famed Stacker Pentecost who gives an iconic speech near the film's climax.

Another interesting tidbit of information provided by the director is that the next film will highlight Geiszler and Gottlieb, likely indicating a shift in the focus from the action-oriented first film to something revolving around the comedic dynamic between the two scientists.

Hunnam is likely back also, considering his strong relationship with del Toro on "Crimson Peak."

The first film in the franchise opened to solid reviews, achieving a 72 percent approval rating on the critic side of Rotten Tomatoes and posting solid numbers internationally. The film grossed $411 million worldwide, the likely reason why a sequel is in the works. Unfortunately, the domestic gross was far from complimentary. The film, which was reported as having a $190 million gross, only raked in $101 million at the U.S. box office, hardly the kind of the numbers that would convince a studio to make a part two.

Regardless, the second film is slated for release Aug. 4, 2017.