Meg 2: The Trench updates are starting to arrive for the sequel to the 2018 blockbuster starring Jason Statham. Directed by Jon Turteltaub, The Meg is based on Steve Alten's 1997 book Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror, and its release marked an exciting new addition to the Sharksploitation sub-genre. As a Chinese-American co-production, the film also introduced actress Li Bingbing to many Western moviegoers. The movie's sequel gained momentum in October 2020, when Meg 2: The Trench updates revealed Ben Wheatley was announced as Meg 2: The Trench director.
Before joining the director's chair for Meg 2: The Trench, the English filmmaker is best known for horror movies such as Kill List and Sightseers, and in recent years, Wheatley explored other genres with High-Rise, Free Fire, and Rebecca. Clearly no stranger to ambitious projects, the first thing that Wheatley started doing was talking about how large-scale the sequel would be, and the movie's title was confirmed as Meg 2: The Trench when the start of the movie's production was announced. Most of the main characters survived the original movie, but will they all be back for the sequel and, more importantly, will they all survive it?
Latest The Meg 2 News
The latest news for Meg 2: The Trench comes in the form of a revealing interview with producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura about the upcoming movie. Speaking to Collider, Di Bonaventura promised that Meg 2: The Trench would lean more into humor which was a smaller part of the first movie. He claimed, "we learned is you could add more comedy than we originally thought in a shark movie, in a way. So I think this movie is probably funnier. There's certainly some big laughs in it." The mix of shark attacks and humor seems to be seen best with Meg 2 trailer spoiling the death of one character with a comedic beat.
Di Bonaventura also spoke about the movie's PG-13 rating which he defends as allowing the movie to relate to a wider audience. However, he insisted they are aware of keeping the movie's "edge" even with the added humor and the lack of gore. Di Bonaventura also teased that there were already thoughts on a third movie and how to keep things fresh. With the second movie returning to the ocean depths, Di Bonaventura suggested a change of pace for the third movie saying "the task the next time is to figure out what is that next underwater experience that you want to find?"
Meg 2: The Trench Release Date
Updates for Meg 2: The Trench stretch back to October 2018, and show that development on the sequel began not long after the original movie hit theaters. As reported by Cinemablend, by early 2019, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed a script was in the works. Wheatley began shooting in early 2022, and that set it up for a big release in 2023. Assuming that the visual effects will be bigger and better, post-production will likely go down to the wire, which is likely what's keeping footage under wraps. Meg 2: The Trench hits theaters on August 4, 2023.
The Meg 2 Cast
Meg 2: The Trench's cast sees a lot of familiar faces returning. Jason Statham continues to lead the franchise as Jonas Taylor and there are other returning stars for Meg 2: The Trench. Cliff Curtis returns as Jonas's close friend Max and Page Kennedy returns as DJ. Li Bingbing will not return as Suyin, after taking a break from acting to focus on her mental health and charity work. Hopefully, the film doesn't make the classic horror movie mistake of killing a character off-screen. However, this remains a possibility as Shuya Sophia Cai is returning as Suyin's daughter, Meiying. The daughter is back, and the mother isn't, so the cast of Meg 2: The Trench raises questions.
There is also no confirmation that Ruby Rose will return. However, there are some newcomers to the franchise (via THR). Jing Wu looks to have a pivotal role as a new member of the team whose action hero chops could rival Jonas's own. Skyler Samuels (American Horror Story) joins the cast as an “adventure-loving member” of Statham’s submarine crew. Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Rambo: Last Blood) plays one of Meg 2: The Trench’s villains, described as a “hard-edged” mercenary. Sienna Guillory (Resident Evil) plays the head of an applied sciences division in the movie.
Who Is Ben Wheatley? Meg 2: The Trench Director Explained
While there are a lot of exciting Meg 2: The Trench updates, one of the most intriguing aspects of the movie is the director. Ben Wheatley is not the kind of filmmaker many people would have guessed would be helming Meg 2: The Trench. Though Ben Wheatley's movies have been quite varied, from the intense and terrifying thriller The Kill List to the gritty and darkly comedic Free Fire, he has stuck firmly in the indie movie genre. Seeing him at the helm of a popcorn blockbuster like Meg 2: The Trench is odd, but perhaps it will allow for something unexpected from the shark movie.
Meg 2: The Trench Story Details
Meg 2: The Trench is about a shark from the prehistoric ages just like The Meg, however, it looks like there will be some other creatures coming into the sequel. The trailer shows three megalodon sharks coming up to the surface to snack on humans but there are also dinosaur-like creatures causing mayhem. The subtitle of the movie, The Trench, confirms that there will be a return to the Mariana Trench where the first megalodon came from, which could lead to much bigger monsters than just the sharks. The trouble in "the Trench" is what pulls Jonas back into the adventure with higher stakes this time around.
The Meg 2 Trailer
The Meg 2: The Trench update that has everyone talking is the first trailer. With the summer blockbuster season filled with so many exciting and epic entries, audiences seem to be excited by a big silly blockbuster that doesn't take itself too seriously. Indeed, that is what Meg 2: The Trench trailer promises with a tongue-in-cheek approach to its shark action.
From the use of Heart's "Barracuda" to the prehistoric opening to seeing various unsuspecting people getting chomped by the giant sharks, it looks to be a movie that knows exactly what audiences what from it and is ready to deliver. Fans are also already having a lot of fun with the footage of the movie, including some clever crossovers. One fan trailer blends Meg 2: The Trench and The Little Mermaid in a hilarious way that plays on the juxtaposed tones of these undersea adventures.