The Meg 2 director Ben Wheatley is storyboarding large scale action

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Director Ben Wheatley's new film In the Earth (read our review HERE) is set to reach theatres tomorrow, and while doing press for that film Wheatley has also been fielding questions about his next project, which happens to be a sequel to 2018's "Jason Statham vs. a giant shark" movie The Meg (watch it at THIS LINK).

Speaking with Collider, Wheatley said he chose to direct The Meg 2 because he "really loved" the first film (which was directed by Jon Turteltaub).

I usually just go with my gut, so if something comes across from my agent and I like it, then I just go for it. So this came up and I just went, 'Oh, Christ! Meg 2, I'll do that! That's brilliant!' 

Wheatley isn't sure at this point when the sequel is going to start filming, but 

They've got a script and we've been doing storyboards for three, four months now. So there's lots and lots and lots of work that's been done. … There are big boots to fill. The last film was excellent, so we don't want to disappoint any Meg fans, that's for sure."

Speaking with ComicBook.com, Wheatley said he was also interested in the project because 

it's an opportunity to do action on such an insanely large scale, that it's just unbelievable. From doing Free Fire, which was, I thought, was all my Christmases came at once in terms of action, this is just unbelievable. And just doing the storyboards for it, just thinking and going, 'Oh,' it's just … I feel a heavy responsibility for it, to make sure that it kind of delivers to all the big shark fans out there."

Statham is returning for The Meg 2, and has been said to be "creatively involved" in the development of the sequel. The screenplay has been written by Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber, and Erich Hoeber, the same writing team that was on the first film.