The Meg 2 Director Teases Epic Scope of Shark Sequel, "I Wanted Every Dollar on Screen"

By Adam Barnhardt

Make no mistake about it, but the filmmakers behind Meg 2: The Trench spared no expense when it came to the thriller. After a sizable haul for Warner Brothers in 2018, the highly anticipated sequel has enlisted the help of indie filmmaker Ben Wheatley, who put a whole lot of work into the movie before it even started filming.

"By the time I got to 'The Meg,' I'd done a lot of effects work, and I had an inkling of it. And because of the pandemic, I had an extra six or seven months, so I storyboarded the whole thing, every frame of it," Wheatley said in the latest issue of Total Film magazine. "So when we came to start it, there was a massive amount of prep that had been done. I don't like the idea of these tales of people making it up on the day. I wanted every dollar on screen."

In that same interview, the filmmaker teased a potential threequel, though he didn't want to give away too many details about the follow-up just quite yet.

"The international-ness of it is very interesting," the director detailed. "What's so smart about the first film is that it's not Rush Hour. It's not East-meets-West, 'Oh, we're all confused about each other' ... It's just people working together, and being in an everyday adventure, and the people just happen to come from places all over the world. I think that's good for audiences, and it's a good message as well."

The film is described, "Dive into uncharted waters with Jason Statham and global action icon Wu Jing as they lead a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal Megs and relentless environmental plunderers, our heroes must outrun, outsmart, and outswim their merciless predators in a pulse-pounding race against time. Immerse yourself in the most electrifying cinematic experience of the year with Meg 2: The Trench -- where the depths of the ocean are matched only by the heights of sheer, unstoppable excitement!"

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Warner Bros. Pictures and CMC Pictures present Meg 2: The Trench, with Statham and Jing headlining an ensemble cast that also includes Sophia Cai (The Meg), Page Kennedy (The Meg), Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Rambo: Last Blood), Skyler Samuels (The Gifted), and Cliff Curtis (Avatar franchise).

Meg 2: The Trench lands in theaters on August 4th.

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