Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, which follows on from Guillermo del Toro's 2013 sci-fi action blockbuster, is reportedly set to start shooting at Sydney's Fox Studios next month, with additional filming in Queensland.

Boyega will play the son of Idris Elba's character, Stacker Pentecost, in the first movie, with the cast also including Scott Eastwood (Suicide Squad, Snowden), Clint's son, and, in returning roles, Ron Perlman and Max Martini. It is not clear whether two of the previous movie's stars, Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi, will be back.

Boyega will also be one of the movie's producers.

Pacific Rim was set in the future with the Earth at war with giant alien monsters which emerged from a portal at the bottom of the ocean.

IF magazine has reported that Steven S. DeKnight, best known for executive producing the television series Smallville, Spartacus and Daredevil, will take over directing from del Toro, who is writing and producing the sequel.

It had been scheduled to shoot in Toronto, Canada, in 2015 before being postponed.

While the first Pacific Rim took $US411 million at the worldwide box office, it was not as big a hit as the studio had hoped given it reportedly cost $US190 million. In North America, it took $US102 million, well down on expectations, but performed strongly in other parts of the world including China.

Like the original movie, the sequel is being made by Legendary Pictures, which is part of China's Wanda group.

"This is the latest big production to be secured by the NSW Government's new $20 million Made In NSW Fund," said deputy premier and arts minister Troy Grant

"The production will inject more than $54 million into the NSW economy and employ around 400 local crew."

The fund has also attracted the Jackie Chan movie Bleeding Steel, Peter Rabbit and the television series Wake in Fright to the state since it was announced in June.