Meg 2: The Trench release date, cast, trailer and latest news
Ready for another giant monster movie?
Back in 2018, The Meg, a movie about a ginormous shark menacing Jason Statham and a group of scientists, was a surprise hit, wildly outperforming box office expectations.
And now a trailer for its direct sequel, Meg 2: The Trench, has landed, giving fans a first look at Statham’s Jonas Taylor as he returns to face off against the terrors of the ocean.
The footage begins by going back 65 million years to a time when one species ruled the world: the mighty megalodon. We then return to modern day, where multiple megalodons are unleashed upon a research team and a beach full of civilians.
Alongside Statham, Cliff Curtis, Shuya Sophia Cai and Page Kennedy are reprising their roles as James 'Mac' Mackreides, Meiying and DJ, respectively, while new faces include Skyler Samuels, Sienna Guillory and Sergio Peris-Mencheta.
Ben Wheatley is replacing National Treasure director Jon Turteltaub from the first movie.
So, if you're ready for another scary shark movie, read on for everything you need to know about the sequel.
Meg 2: The Trench release date
Meg 2 will land in cinemas on 4th August 2023, arriving five years after the first movie.
Filming kicked off in early February, at the same time that the official title of the film was announced.
Meg 2: The Trench cast
Cliff Curtis and Page Kennedy are reprising their roles as James 'Mac' Mackreides and DJ respectively in the sequel.
Li Bingbing is understood to not be returning as oceanographer Suyin, though we do know that her daughter Meiying (Shuya Sophia Cai) will be back. It remains to be seen whether Ruby Rose will return for the sequel.
New faces include Skyler Samuels, who is joining the franchise as an “adventure-loving member” of Statham’s submarine crew (via The Hollywood Reporter), Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Rambo: Last Blood) as a new villain who is described as a “hard-edged” mercenary, and Sienna Guillory (Resident Evil), who is joining the cast as the head of an applied sciences division.
Ray Strachan and Wu Jing have also joined the movie in unknown roles.
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Meg 2: The Trench plot
The new trailer for Meg 2 reveals that Statham’s Jonas Taylor will once again be leading a research team to explore the terrors of the ocean.
Following the ending of The Meg, which suggested that more than two megalodons escaped the trench, the footage reveals that three of the sharks did indeed escape – and they're now destroying everything in their path.
Other underwater prehistoric beasts, such as the Kronosaurus, also feature, taking another leaf out of Steve Alten’s source material: the 1999 novel The Trench.
Wheatley said of the plot back in 2021: “I'm storyboarding at the moment. It's been going on for four months, five months. It's my happy place, I love storyboarding. So yeah, I'm cutting storyboards and watching animatics, and slowly constructing the movie.
“It's really exciting. It's just action on a massive, massive scale,” he continued. “I don't think I can say at the moment what's going on, the ins and outs of it. But guaranteed, there will be a megalodon – maybe more than one.”
Meg 2: The Trench trailer
Meg 2 looks to retain the original’s cheesy tone and thrilling action (which helped the film gross over $530 million at the worldwide box office) judging by the new trailer, which features Statham riding a wave above a megalodon and Wu jumping out of a helicopter.
Watch below:
Meg 2: The Trench arrives in UK cinemas on 4th August 2023. If you’re looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Film hub for all the latest news.
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