The Meg was one of the summer’s biggest surprise successes. Marketing itself as a big-budget homage to goofy genre movies, the Jason Statham-led shark film earned over 500 million dollars worldwide, a tally few were expecting considering the film’s August release and lack of brand appeal. With that film’s success, it’s no surprise that Warner Brothers was quick to announce a follow-up The Meg 2.
While the film is still very much in its early stages, there are a few announcements from producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura. Director John Turtleaub will return for the sequel, with Bonaventura telling Cinema Blend about the script’s early progress. Check out his comments:
“We’re working on a script. So you never know until you get a good script. I was very thankful that the audience got that we were just trying to have fun, not take ourselves seriously at all.”
A sequel makes sense considering the original’s financial success, but I hope this sequel does a lot to improve upon the first. The Meg scored a middling 45% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and I can’t help but agree with that majority. The premise has a lot of potential and Jason Statham is a great leading man, but the film didn’t go far enough with its pulpy thrills to provide anything unique for the genre.
Any failure is an opportunity to learn however, as The Meg’s financial success could promise an even grander shark film. I think the key is to find a great writer who can make clever jokes, but also create personable characters. Stylistically, I hope Turtleaub takes more risks with his sequel, but who knows how long it will be until The Meg 2 is released.
What do you think of this news? Are you excited for The Meg 2? Be sure to tell us your thoughts in the comments!