The Meg was one of those magical films that achieved pure, intentional, and glorious camp. A movie so intentionally bad it became good. A film whose tongue was so far in its cheek that it probably choked on it. It is nearly impossible to capture that kind of magic twice. Camp is such a delicate and mystical thing that doing it again, even on purpose, is a damn miracle… and yet, the first trailer for The Meg 2: The Trench kind of delivers. Any movie with a jet ski action sequence against a megalodon has to have something going for it, right?
If The Meg was already at 11, then The Meg 2 turns it all the way up to 21. Jason Statham is back as megalodon-killing Jonas Taylor, who is called back into action when something troubling is occurring in a deep portion of the ocean called the trench. He and a crack team of scientists head down there, but an evil corporation’s evil drilling causes big problems and suddenly three megs and a host of other ancient sea creatures are once again eating every single thing they can get near. The Meg 2: The Trench trailer opens with the entirely scientifically accurate depiction of a megalodon beaching itself to eat a Tyrannosaurus rex and then continues to depict wholly plausible situations from there on out, like Statham kicking a meg in the face so it won’t eat him.
Statham is joined this time around by Chinese action star Wu Jing, who is credited as headlining alongside Statham, Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Rambo: Last Blood), Skyler Samuels (The Gifted), and Cliff Curtis (Avatar franchise). He’s rejoined from the first film by Sophia Cai and Page Kennedy because none of them learned their lesson about just not going near deep-water sea trenches the first time around. Sadly, considering he’s one of the best camp directors working, Jon Turteltaub is not returning to direct. Instead, he will be replaced by Ben Wheatley, whose B-grade action background my or may not bring exactly what we want to the film.
The Meg 2: The Trench, not to be confused with that canceled Aquaman spinoff, will release on August 4, 2023.
