The best thing about The Asylum's disaster movie Sharknado was its title - the actual film being of the usual quality of Syfy TV movies - but the novelty of a tornado made out of sharks is enough to carry this bizarre idea into sequel territory and so this year we're getting Sharknado 2: The Second One. No, really, that's what it's called.

Sharknado 2 is set to begin filming next week, with the setting having moved from the sunny locale of Los Angeles that got trashed in the first movie to the fresh stomping grounds (sharking grounds?) of New York City. For those unfamiliar with the premise, a "sharknado" is a type of fictional weather disaster in which freak tornadoes sweep in from the ocean, picking up thousands of sharks along the way and depositing them - angry and disoriented - into streets filled with unsuspecting humans.

Deadline has just announced the fresh cast of prospective shark bait that will appear in Sharknado 2, which will once again be directed by Anthony Ferrante from a screenplay by Thunder Levin. Andy Dick (Less Than Perfect), Vivica A. Fox (Independence Day), Mark McGrath (Scooby Doo), Kelly Osbourne (Fashion Police), Judah Friedlander (30 Rock), and Judd Hirsch (The Muppets) are all set to star in main roles. Dick will play a New York police officer, Fox will play an old high school friend of Fin (the hero from the first movie), McGrath will play Fin's brother-in-law, Osbourne will play a flight attendant, Hirsch will play a taxi driver and Friedlander will play someone called Brian. We're not sure who Brian is or how he fits into everything.

Vivica Fox in Independence Day
Vivica A. Fox is among the cast of 'Sharknado 2'

In addition to the new cast, both Ian Ziering and Tara Reid will reprise their roles from the first movie in Sharknado 2, as Fin and April head to Manhattan to do battle with the sharknado once more. While Fin spearheaded much of the survival mission in Sharknado, Reid's character was quite stunningly useless and didn't seem to do much beyond standing around looking surprised and slightly annoyed. Hopefully the sequel will find something for her to do.

Apparently it's true that the sharknado just can't be stopped, so for better or worse here's to another 90 minutes of cheerfully sub-par CGI, terrible acting and - of course - plenty of sharks.

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Sharknado 2: The Second One will premiere on Syfy some time in July 2014.

Source: Deadline