Deep Blue Sea 2 has been rated R, premieres on Syfy in 2018

Back in June, we caught word that a sequel to the 1999 shark thriller DEEP BLUE SEA was in production. Less than six months later, DEEP BLUE SEA 2 has been screened for the MPAA and received its rating – like the first film, this sequel has been rated R. The reasons given for the R: "creature violence and gore, and for language." Sounds like it has the right ingredients in place!

Of course, when we're first able to see DEEP BLUE SEA 2 it will have lost a bit of its edge, because the movie will be premiering on Syfy. The exact date of that premiere has not been announced, but it's expected to be sometime in the next year.

Directed by Darin Scott from a screenplay by Erik Patterson, Hans Rodionoff, and Jessica Scott, this DEEP BLUE SEA 2 is entirely separate from the sequel Jack Perez was developing a decade ago (you can read what Perez's part 2 would have been about right here). This one begins when 

shark conservationist Dr. Misty Calhoun is invited to consult on a top-secret project run by pharmaceutical billionaire Carl Durant. Calhoun is shocked to learn that the company is using the unpredictable and highly aggressive bull sharks as its test subjects. You can probably guess where this goes next…

The film stars Danielle Savre as Dr. Misty Calhoun, Rob Mayes as ex-Navy SEAL Trent Slater; and Michael Beach as Carl Durant, "a billionaire with questionable ethics".

Matt Bierman, creative executive for Warner Bros., had this to say about DEEP BLUE SEA 2: 

We are a true sequel. We wanted to keep to the spirit of Deep Blue Sea and why people love it. The research that was used on the sharks in Deep Blue Sea 2 comes from the mythology and story line of the first movie. We have given the lead shark a personality and hope the fans will embrace that as it really helps the story telling and the narrative in a way that first one didn’t. Deep Blue Sea 2 has a slightly slower build but once the rubber band snaps things go boom really quickly!"

DEEP BLUE SEA really should have gotten a sequel sixteen or so years ago, but I'll gladly take a DEEP BLUE SEA 2 regardless of when it's released.