Beware the briny deep, because "The Meg 2" is bringing back your favorite megalodons
and more to blow this summer's movie competition out of the water.
Here's what you need to know about the action-packed sequel.
The original, big-budget giant megalodon movie, "The Meg," spent well over a decade in limbo.
The source novel was published in 1997, but production on the film version took a while
to get going, with the project jumping from studio to studio before things finally ramped
up.
"The Meg" landed at Warner Bros. in 2015, and the final choice for Jon Turteltaub as
director came in March 2016 after Eli Roth of 'Hostel' bowed out due to creative differences.
Two years and four months later, in August 2018, "The Meg" finally hit theaters.
"It's a megalodon."
"The Meg 2: The Trench" also took its time swimming into movie theaters around the world.
However, the wait for the sequel won't be as long as the one for its predecessor.
Filming got underway at Leavesden Studios near London, home of the "Harry Potter" movies.
Just over a month later, Warner Bros. confirmed that "Meg 2" would arrive in theaters on August
4, 2023.
In a September 2018 newsletter, author Steve Alten expressed his hope that the cinematic
follow-up to "The Meg" would be based on the second novel in his book series, "The Trench."
One of the reasons the sequels to "Jaws" failed to live up to the original, Alten wrote, was
that "Peter Benchley only wrote the one 'Jaws' novel."
The fact that the sequel to "The Meg" will be titled "The Meg 2: The Trench" pretty strongly
implies the screenwriters agreed with him.
And it would seem that "The Meg 2: The Trench" will adhere to the plot of Alten's source
novel, at least loosely.
Judging from the first official trailer for the film, this will be the kind of sequel
that does what its predecessor movie did, only bigger and in a more extreme fashion.
A few years after Jonas Taylor and his squad quelled the menace of a megalodon, the team
is called back to duty to fight off an even larger, more frightening, and even hungrier
apex predator.
Nothing is safe from this new Meg, so Jonas and James "Mac" Mackreides assemble a group
of hunters and researchers to investigate the deep ocean trench from whence the underwater
menace came.
Action movie powerhouse Jason Statham will reprise his role as shark-hunting rescue diver
Jonas Taylor.
Cliff Curtis, Shuya Sophia Cai, and Page Kennedy will also all be back, once more portraying
"Mac" Mackreides, Meiying, and DJ, respectively.
New additions to the cast include Sienna Guillory as the leader of a scientific contingent;
Skyler Samuels as a new member of Taylor's crew who enjoys a good adventure; and Jing
Wu, star of Chinese blockbuster franchises "The Wandering Earth" and "Wolf Warrior" in
an undisclosed role.
It's no small undertaking to remake a film made by the legendary Alfred Hitchcock, particularly
one that won the Academy Award for best picture.
But U.K.-based director Ben Wheatley was willing to take up the task, helming Netflix's 2020
version of the 1940 mystery drama "Rebecca."
Just after that film made a splash, Wheatley accepted an offer to move from intimate period
pieces into big-budget action blockbusters and signed on to direct "Meg 2."
It will be the filmmaker's most high profile project to date, coming on the heels of "In
the Earth," "Happy New Year, Colin Burstead" and "Free Fire."
Wheatley directed the film from a script written by the same trio of writers behind the first
film, so it's safe to say that the sequel will have a similar vibe.
"I just hope it goes better than last time."
"What happened last time?"
"You don't want to know."
Nearly five years have passed since "The Meg" swam its way into theaters.
While many sequels have taken much longer to produce, there are a few pressing questions
regarding how a second film can work within the ongoing storyline established in the first
film.
Most pertinently: How is there another megalodon swimming through the ocean?
Shockingly, "The Meg" did not kill one shark — by the end of the film, two of the prehistoric
beasts are slain.
And while a third megalodon seems unreasonable, the second shark creates an opportunity for
more sharks to appear.
It's near the beginning of the movie when Winston Chao's character Minway Zhang begins
his exploration of the Mariana Trench, which arguably releases the original megalodon from
an underground cavern.
The later arrival of the second shark insinuates that even more underwater monsters were released.
Moreover, the second shark is significantly larger than its predecessor, and fans can
bet that the star sea creature of the sequel will be even larger.
Finally, in the first movie's final moments, another megalodon can be heard swimming past
the camera, foreshadowing that Jonas Taylor has more monsters to fight.
The announced PG-13 rating may be unsatisfying for fans hoping for more blood and violence
out of their favorite shark movie.
But the family-friendly rating may be even more disappointing for franchise star Jason
Statham.
Ahead of the release of "The Meg" in 2018, the action superstar discussed some of the
major script changes and directorial visions of the film with Collider.
Surprisingly, Statham had a much different idea of where the shark movie should have
gone.
"Jon [Turteltaub]'s interpretation of this is a fun end of summer [movie].
It's full of humor.
It's a little bit more directed to a different taste of what my own is, in terms of I like
more gory adult stuff."
That said, the actor was quick to admit that he trusted his director.
"I can't speak for what this film could possibly speak to a younger audience.
I might have made a film that not many people wanted to see.
I'm not a filmmaker."
Unfortunately, it seems as if Statham did not get his wish for a more adult film with
the sequel, either.
While "The Meg" primarily takes place on the ocean, the filmmakers needed to find the right
open water to film in.
The original movie was primarily filmed in New Zealand, a country well-known for its
eye-catching scenery.
Director Jon Turteltaub said to the New Zealand Film Commission about the location,
"You can get beautiful still water, you can get rough water, you can get all the different
kinds of things you need, you can see every kind of ocean.
It's a perfect place to go film."
Despite the love "The Meg" cast and crew seem to have for New Zealand, they decided to change
things up for the sequel.
"The Meg 2: The Trench" began filming in the United Kingdom in early 2022 at the Warner
Brothers Studio in Leavesden.
However, the new shark movie still needed stunning ocean locations and beautiful beaches
for many of its exterior shots, which led the crew to Thailand.
The film crew managed to find an ideal beach in the Phuket province of Thailand where filming
took place in spring 2022.
There is no denying that "The Meg" is a ridiculous and over-the-top shark movie, but that's part
of its charm.
Thankfully, those looking for over-the-top thrills are in luck as – if the source material
is any clue as to what will happen – things will likely get crazier in the sequel.
"The Trench" written by Steve Alten, published in 1999, features Jason Statham's character
Jonas Taylor caring for a surviving megalodon who has become a tourist attraction for people
hoping to catch a glimpse of a massive dinosaur.
However, when the beast begins to act erratically and escapes its cage, Jonas discovers that
she is pregnant.
To catch the bloodthirsty shark once more, he must set up a trap where he first met the
prehistoric monsters, back in the Mariana Trench.
"This was a bad idea."
"Just a little bit."
The book's synopsis seems relatively straightforward but there is far more to the story than meets
the eye, including the arrival of a pack of Kronosaurusesk, a government conspiracy, and
baby sharks.
It sounds like a lot to pack into a single movie, so chances are the film won't follow
it beat for beat.
But, if there are more Meg films to come, we can expect the adventures to get bigger
and more outrageous with more prehistoric monsters climbing out of the depths.
The official first trailer for "The Meg 2: The Trench" offers some clues as to what to
expect from the film.
With Statham and company visiting the Mariana Trench, where an entire ecosystem lives underwater,
there are many creatures that begin swimming their way up from the deepest part of the
ocean.
Some of these creatures are seen throughout the trailer, including human-sized reptiles
and, most notably, a Tyrannosaurus rex.
However, the trailer hints at another deep-sea creature in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment.
Thankfully, a new international trailer has surfaced that features the most dangerous
underwater monster of them all — the Kraken, the legendary squid monster rumored to be
as large as the megalodon.
The original "The Meg" movie also features a giant squid, but that's nothing compared
to this new tentacled beast.
Surprisingly, the new trailer indicates that the Kraken may be a more significant villain
than the giant shark and the movie could climax with the two massive monsters squaring off
for a final battle.
There is no shortage of shark movies out there, but most of them have one thing in common:
They have a ton of sequels.
From "Jaws" to "Sharknado," movies about the most dangerous animal in the ocean tend to
be squeezed for everything they are worth.
Meanwhile, Steve Alten's original literary "Meg" saga includes seven titles, giving the
movies plenty to work with.
So, there is a strong chance that "The Meg" may be returning for another swim, if there
is a hunger from the audience.
When the first movie was released in 2018, there were already talks of a potential franchise.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jason Statham was quick to point out the deciding
factor of "The Meg" moving forward.
"I think it's like anything in this day and age — if it makes money, there's obviously
an appetite to make more money.
And if it doesn't do well, they'll soon sweep it under the carpet.
But that's the way Hollywood works.
Everyone tries to make a good film, and it lies in the hands of the audience."
Safe to say, if the sequel manages to make a boatload of money, there is no doubt that
Warner Brothers will be ready to complete the trilogy, build a franchise, or even expand
into a cinematic universe.