A new international trailer has arrived for The Meg, which reveals a little more of the plot. The Meg is based on a series of books by author Steve Alten, and the movie version has been in development for well over a decade. Directors such as Eli Roth and Jan de Bont (Speed) were previously attached, but now Jon Turteltaub (National Treasure) has taken on directing duties while Jason Statham leads the cast.

The story revolves around Statham's navy captain Jonas Taylor, who is called in on a rescue operation to a deep sea research station. Scientists have uncovered a host of new species living at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, including a 75-foot Megalodon, a species of shark long thought extinct. Needless to say, the big fish starts eating people, and it's up to Statham to stop it – though it seems unlikely he'll be punching it into submission.

Related: The Meg Trailer & Poster

The poster and first trailer for The Meg recently appeared and confirmed the movie will be leaning thoroughly on the B-movie vibe. Now an international trailer has arrived, with new footage exploring the story and adding a few more jokes. The cheesy vibe is still there, however, and the movie knows it's the greatest strength is the pairing of Statham with a giant shark.

The Meg is a change of pace for Statham, who typically sticks to mid-range action movies. The actor has dipped his toes into other genres in recent years, however, getting to display his comic chops in movies like Spy, and joining the ever-expanding ensemble of The Fast & Furious series. The pairing of Statham's Deckard Shaw with Dwayne Johnson's Hobbs proved to be the highlight of Fast & Furious 8, so the two will be joining up for the untitled Hobbs spinoff in 2019. A full-on monster movie is a big change for the actor, who hasn't made anything resembling a horror movie or creature feature since his supporting role in Ghosts Of Mars.

The studio clearly has a lot of confidence in The Meg, which has a budget in excess of $150 million. There's plenty of sequel material to be mined from the book series, too, so if audiences take to the movie it could become a new franchise. Giant monster movies seem to be doing well right now, thanks to the success of Legendary's MonsterVerse movies like Kong: Skull Island and Pacific Rim Uprising.

More: The Meg: Jason Statham Went Diving With Real Sharks

Source: Movie Trailers

Key Release Dates

  • The Meg movie poster
    Meg
    Release Date:
    2018-08-10