It's taken a while, but Deep Blue Sea 2 is finally becoming a real thing. When it comes to top tier films about killer sharks, there is basically only one entry on the list: Steven Spielberg's Jaws. That legendary film not only created the idea of the summer blockbuster, but made an entire generation of moviegoers scared to death of swimming in the ocean. While in reality it's become well-known that sharks rarely attack - much less kill - humans, sharks have remained a popular movie monster, albeit rarely approaching the level of quality in Spielberg's classic.

Another shark flick with a large following though is 1999's Deep Blue Sea, directed by go-to '90s action director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2). Despite mixed critical reviews, Deep Blue Sea was a certified box office hit, raking in $164.6 million worldwide on a budget of only $60 million. The film also boasted a cast full of recognizable actors, including Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, Stellan Skarsgard and Saffron Burrows - and of course, Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson's role ends in particularly memorable fashion, which has contributed to Deep Blue Sea's continuing cult appeal.

Despite Deep Blue Sea's success, unlike most profitable horror properties, the film didn't spawn a franchise. Not that is, until now. According to Movie Hole, Deep Blue Sea 2 is currently filming in Cape Town, South Africa. For those wondering why there was no advance announcement of the sequel, that's probably because it won't be going to theaters. Instead, Deep Blue Sea 2 is being produced as a Syfy original movie.

Deep Blue Sea Shark

At this juncture, little is known about Deep Blue Sea 2's plot, outside of it centering on a scientist conducting experiments on bull sharks. Naturally, this ends badly, with the enhanced sharks escaping, and a team of marine experts being tasked with stopping the rampaging aquatic predators. Those thinking that that sounds like the plot of any number of previous Syfy original killer animal movies would not be wrong in the least.

Deep Blue Sea 2 is being helmed by Darin Scott, writer and producer of the 1995 racially-charged horror anthology Tales from the Hood. He also directed several episodes of the Cinemax softcore genre anthology Femme Fatales. Michael Beach (Aquaman, Sons of Anarchy) is the only confirmed cast member so far. While no premiere date has been revealed yet, one obviously shouldn't expect any participation from the cast of the original movie, as they all still have quite active film and TV careers.

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Source: Movie Hole