#The Meg 2 Begins Filming in Early 2022, Jason Statham Will Return to Punch More Sharks

In a recent interview, Jason Statham has confirmed that things are finally falling into place regarding the follow up to the insane prehistoric Shark focused sci-fi action adventure movie The Meg, released in 2018. It has already been announced that the film, tentatively titled Meg 2: The Trench has nabbed Free Fire director Ben Wheatley to helm the project, a prospect that clearly excites Jason Statham. Not only does he express his delight to be working with Wheatley, he also revealed that the script is ready and that filming should begin in January.

“We’re gonna start shooting in January, if I get my dates right. Ben Wheatley is the director, I’m very excited to work with him. I’m thrilled to get going, it’s been a while. We’ve been waiting around for the right scripts to come in and the right director to turn up, and we’ve got all those things and they’re all stacked up now.”

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This will no doubt come as great news for fans of the original, which despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, proved to be a huge hit at the box office. Directed by Jon Turteltaub and loosely based on the 1997 book Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror by Steve Alten, the film stars Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, and Winston Chao. It follows a group of intrepid scientists who, while on a scientific expedition, encounter a 75-foot-long shark. The protagonist and the film’s namesake The Meg (short for Megalodon) is a shark based on the prehistoric extinct Megalodon species of shark believed to have reigned terror across the ocean millions of years ago. Jason Statham had this to say about working with director Ben Wheatley.

“Yeah [Wheatley’s] great. We have a great shorthand already. We’ve got similar taste. I like his movies, I think he’s a brilliant director. I think we’ve got a good shot at making something good.”

Not much is known about the plot of The Meg 2 yet. Original author Alten has expressed his interest in the script’s ‘dark tone’ and ‘potential for an R rating’ and with Ben Wheatley involved, it’s hard to know quite what to expect. The British director’s output has been ‘interesting’ to say the least, ranging from psychological horror like Kill List and A Field in Englandto action comedy (Free Fire) and the brilliantly bizarre (Sightseers). More recently he directed the romantic-thriller Rebecca starring Lily James and Armie Hammer that was released to Netflix last year.

A common theme that does seem to run throughout his body of work is a healthy dose of pitch black comedy, which could work nicely in a movie where Jason Statham will be expected to battle a giant prehistoric Shark. In the meantime, fans of Jason Statham can get their fix of the action star in Guy Ritchie’s upcoming thriller Wrath of Man. 

The film marks the fourth time Statham will have worked with Ritchie after Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Snatch (2000), and Revolver (2005). He will be playing a character named H, a cold, calculated and distant loner on the hunt for the people responsible for his son’s murder. Also starring are Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett and Laz Alonso as well as Scott Eastwood and Hip Hop star Post Malone.

The film is scheduled for a U.S. release on May 7 after being delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. News from the Jason Statham interview comes courtesy of Collider.

Topics: The Meg 2, Meg