MEG 2: THE TRENCH - The Popcorn Junkies Movie Review (SPOILERS)

Meg 2: The Trench (titled Shark 2 in some territories) is a 2023 science fiction action film directed by Ben Wheatley from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, and Dean Georgaris. It is based on the 1999 novel The Trench by Steve Alten. Serving as the sequel to The Meg (2018), the film stars Jason Statham, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Skyler Samuels and Cliff Curtis. Like the previous film, it follows a group of scientists who must outrun and outswim the titular Megalodons when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Plans for the sequel were announced to be in early development in October 2018 after the box office success of the first film. Wheatley replaced Jon Turteltaub as director, with the script being written by returning writers Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber. Filming began in various locations in Asia and the London-based Leavesden Studios in February 2022 with many of the cast joining the same month until May 2022. Meg 2: The Trench had its world premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival on June 9, 2023, and was released in the United States on August 4, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics and has grossed $142 million worldwide.