It was a big week for filmmaker Ben Wheatley, whose credits include KILL LIST, HIGH RISE, and FREE FIRE. Just two days after his new film REBECCA (which is based on a Daphne Du Maurier story that Alfred Hitchcock originally brought to the screen in 1940) was released through the Netflix streaming service, it was announced that Wheatley has been hired to direct a sequel to the 2018 giant shark movie THE MEG (watch it HERE).
THE MEG star Jason Statham will be returning for THE MEG 2, and is said to be "creatively involved" in the development of the follow-up. The first film's writers Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber, and Erich Hoeber are all working on the script for this one as well.
Based on author Steve Alten's 1997 novel Meg, THE MEG had the following synopsis:
A deep-sea submersible — part of an international undersea observation program — has been attacked by a massive creature, previously thought to be extinct, and now lies disabled at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific… with its crew trapped inside. With time running out, expert deep-sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor is recruited by a visionary Chinese oceanographer, against the wishes of his daughter Suyin, to save the crew — and the ocean itself — from this unstoppable threat: a pre-historic 75-foot-long shark known as the Megalodon. What no one could have imagined is that, years before, Taylor had encountered this same terrifying creature. Now, teamed with Suyin, he must confront his fears and risk his own life to save everyone trapped below… bringing him face to face once more with the greatest and largest predator of all time.
There's no word on what the set-up for THE MEG 2 will be, but you can bet that the payoff is going to involve Statham fighting another massive shark.
The first movie was directed by Jon Turteltaub. With Wheatley at the helm, I have hopes that THE MEG 2 will be an improvement over its predecessor.
This isn't the only blockbuster project Wheatley is attached to. He's also signed on to direct Alicia Vikander in a new TOMB RAIDER movie.
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