The sequel to the wildly successful uber-shark flick The Meg has been swimming around for two years, but now looks well on its way to taking a big bite out of box offices.
The first hurdle apparently has been cleared by filling the director’s chair–genre filmmaker Ben Wheatley has signed on to helm the project, according to The Hollywood Reporter. And the new Warner Bros. film reportedly even has a new title–The Meg 2: The Trench.
Wheatley–the British director known for his efforts on Netflix’s recent Rebecca remake, as well as such films as Sightseers and Kill List–will work from a script by Jon and Erich Hoeber (expanding on an initial draft by Dean Georgaris). Producers Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Belle Avery return from the original 2018 film.
As far as casting goes, it is expected that Jason Statham–who starred in the original–will return, but nothing is set in stone at this time. The action star was very pragmatic when asked about a sequel back in 2018. “I think it’s like anything in this day and age,” he said. “If it makes money, there’s obviously an appetite to make more money.”
Well, making money is what the original did well. Despite mixed reviews from critics and moviegoers, The Meg raked in more than $530 million worldwide on a budget of approximately $150 million. The film–directed by Jon Turteltaub–was adapted by the Hoebers and Georgaris from Steve Alten’s 1997 Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror.
The Meg–starring Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson and Ruby Rose–told the story of a U.S. Navy diver who sets out to rescue a group of scientists from the jaws (no pun intended) of a 75-foot-long prehistoric shark known as a megalodon prowling the depths of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
Keep reading Horror News Network for more details on casting and production schedules for The Meg 2: The Trench.
