Finally emerging from the depths of a long, choppy development, giant shark creature feature Meg is swimming towards production with Jason Statham in the lead role (as a human, not the shark, though we could see that.) And now the filmmakers have found his co-star, with X-Men: Days Of Future Past's Fan Bingbing signing up.
Jon Turteltaub is in the director's chair for the adaptation of Steve Alten's novel, working from the latest draft of the script written by Dean Georgaris. The story will focus on an international underwater observation platform spearheaded by Chinese scientists that is probing the depths of the ocean. When it comes under attack from an unknown creature (which turns out to be a prehistoric shark-related beast known as a Carcharodon Megalodon), the research station's submersible is left disabled and trapped at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Chief oceanographer Dr. Zhang Suyin recruits former Navy captain and expert diver Jonas Taylor (Statham) for a risky rescue mission. Jonas has his own history with the creature, after being forced to abort his mission and abandon half of his crew years ago after an attack. Now he'll have to confront his history and his fears as he takes on the giant beastie again...
Warner Bros. wants this one in cinemas (in the US, at least – there's no confirmed UK date yet) on March 2, 2018.