The Meg 2 is bringing a giant bloody shark back to our cinema screens this year, and we’re not ashamed to say we can’t wait.
While the first movie wasn’t exactly a success with the critics, it was a huge hit at the box office with more than $500 million worldwide. A sequel was announced by executive producer Catherine Xujun Ying in November 2018 as a result.
We’ve had to wait a while for that to swim to our screens, but the sequel – officially titled Meg 2: The Trench – has been filmed and will look to take a bite out of the competition when it hits cinemas in August.
So while we wait for that, here’s everything you need to know about The Meg 2.
The Meg 2 release date: When will Meg 2 The Trench be out in cinemas?
Assuming there are no delays, Meg 2: The Trench will be unleashed in cinemas on August 4, 2023, arriving five years after the first movie.
Filming took place from February to May 2022, so unless Warner Bros needs to rearrange its schedule, then we should be reunited with some giant sharks in August as planned.
The Meg 2 cast: Who’s returning for Meg 2 The Trench?
Jason Statham is, of course, back as the formerly-disgraced rescue diver Jonas Taylor, but his love interest will be missing as Li Bingbing isn’t returning as Suyin.
Cliff Curtis, Shuya Sophia Cai and Page Kennedy are all returning though as James ‘Mac’ Mackreides, Meiying and DJ, respectively.
Newcomers for the sequel include Sienna Guillory, Skyler Samuels, Sergio Peris-Mencheta and Wu Jing, the highest-grossing male actor of all time in China. We don’t yet know who any of them are playing though.
Behind the scenes, Ben Wheatley has directed the sequel which was written by the same trio as the first movie: Dean Georgaris, Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber.
The Meg 2 plot: What will Meg 2 The Trench be about?
We don’t yet have an official synopsis for Meg 2: The Trench, and there’s not really much we can gather from how the first movie ends.
The Meg ended with Jonas redeemed and contemplating a holiday with Suyin and her daughter Meiying. However, since we know Suyin won’t be back in the sequel and Meiying will be, does this mean something has happened to Suyin?
We’d be here for a storyline that sees Jonas on a revenge mission to kill the megalodon who killed Suyin, but maybe we’re overthinking things.
We know we can expect some shark action though, and Wheatley has teased that there might even be more than one giant shark. The first movie had two of them, so surely it’ll have to top that number.
The first movie was based on Steve Alten’s novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror and there was a book sequel called The Trench. The movie wasn’t a faithful adaptation of the book though as that featured a pregnant megalodon.
In the book sequel, Jonas is looking after that shark’s offspring which has now grown to a giant size, leading to another battle between shark and man after Jonas turns to an eccentric billionaire for help.
We imagine the movie sequel will tell its own story, but perhaps there will be some nods to the book series for the fans.
