A shark looms behind Jason Statham in The Meg image

The second the possibility arises of Jason Statham punching a shark in a new movie, that movie then becomes a must-see for all audiences. Such a glorious act may happen in Statham’s new movie, THE MEG, where he’ll venture into the ocean to save a team of divers from an ancient species of shark – the megalodon.

Empire has graced us with the first image from the movie which features Statham in the foreground, and the ancient shark looming behind glass in the background. Little does that shark know that Statham can punch through the toughest of all glass.  Click to embiggen below!

Here is the plot synopsis: 

Five years ago, expert sea diver and Naval Captain Jonas Taylor encountered an unknown danger in the unexplored recesses of the Mariana Trench that forced him to abort his mission and abandon half his crew. Though the tragic incident earned him a dishonorable discharge, what ultimately cost him his career, his marriage and any semblance of honor was his unsupported and incredulous claims of what caused it – an attack on his vessel by a mammoth, 70-foot sea creature, believed to be extinct for more than a million years. But when a submersible lies sunk and disabled at the bottom of the ocean – carrying his ex-wife among the team onboard – he is the one who gets the call. Whether a shot at redemption or a suicide mission, Jonas must confront his fears and risk his own life and the lives of everyone trapped below on a single question: Could the Carcharodon Megalodon – the largest marine predator that ever existed – still be alive … and on the hunt?

Directed by Jon Turteltaub, the movie also stars Ruby Rose, Rainn Wilson, Li Bingbing, and though it sounds like it could be a cheap, fun horror movie, has a reported production budget of $150 million. Even though that number may sound too insane to fathom, shark movies have become more popular in recent years, with movies like THE SHALLOWS and 47 METERS DOWN impressing at the box office.

THE MEG sounds like a movie that will soar based on the selling point of “Statham vs. sharks” alone, even if the PG-13 rating means it won’t be as cool as it could be. The massive production budget means this movie is going to have to be a mega-hit in order to be financially viable, and it also means a sequel would be in the cards if it is. Here’s to hoping a lot of people will pay to see Statham punch out a 70-foot long shark, which he better do for that price tag.

THE MEG hits theaters August 10, 2018.