The Meg 3: Sequel Set-Up, Director Comments & Everything We Know (2024)

With the release of The Meg 2: The Trench, attention is already being turned to any The Meg 3 news. Based on the novel by Steven Alten, The Meg was released in August 2018 and became a solid late summer hit grossing over $530 million worldwide. That was enough of a success to warrant a sequel, further exploring the giant prehistoric sharks that rise from the deepest ocean depths to wreak havoc on the modern world and the heroic scientists out to stop the great beasts. The release of The Meg 2: The Trench, the long-awaited sequel, continues the shark attack franchise with The Meg 3 news already starting to come in.

The ending of The Meg 2 left the door open for The Meg 3, and while the sequel to The Meg received mix reviews from critics, an admirable box-office performance from viewers who don't overset their expectations proves that there's still mileage for light-hearted, semi-serious franchises like The Meg.The Meg was directed by Jon Turteltaub and starred Jason Statham as deepsea explorer Jonas Taylor. The Meg 2: The Trench sees Statham return to lead the sequel cast, however, this time indie director Ben Wheatley (Kill List, High Rise) was at the helm. This surprising new vision for the shark attack movie not only made The Meg 2: The Trench an intriguing sequel, but it also adds to the future of the franchise with The Meg 3 news already rollng in.

Related: 15 Best Shark Attack Movies

The Meg 3: Latest News

There's been no confirmation of a green-light among the latest The Meg 3 news, and the fate of The Meg as a trilogy will likely rest on the box office and streaming success of The Meg 2. The Meg 2: The Trench's box office success has a steep hill to climb, with a budget that is estimated to be anywhere between $150 million to $200 million. The sequel to The Meg needs to make nearly $400 million at the global box office in order to be a success, and this milestone will likely be essential for the third The Meg movie to happen.

While the number is not unreachable given the fact that The Meg grossed over $500 million worldwide in 2018, the overly negative reviews for The Meg 2: The Trench could severely impact the box office. The critical reception of the original movie was not strong either but the sequel is an even worse, currently holding a Rotten Tomatoes score of 28% compared to the original's score of 46%. While reviews may not matter as much for a movie like this, it certainly isn't the desired response for The Meg 2: The Trench, which was touted as elevating the franchise going forward.

The Meg 3 Is Not Confirmed

While there are hopes to carry on the franchise into the future, The Meg 3 is not yet confirmed, nor is there a The Meg 3 release date yet. There have already been conversations about The Meg 3 from the creative team, including director Ben Wheatley. While there's no set-in-stone plans to create a Meg trilogy yet, there's equally nothing writing off the possibility of continuing The Meg beyond two movies and into The Meg 3. Certainly, the franchise's future will depend on the box office for The Meg 2: The Trench.

The Meg 3: Cast

The Meg 3 cast will likely see many of the returning characters who have appeared in both The Meg movies so far. Jason Statham is the big name of the cast, acting as the lead in The Meg and The Meg 2: The Trench as the heroic deepsea explorer Jonas Taylor. The movie leans into Statham's reputation as an action star in over-the-top movies like The Transporter and Crank as Jonas is seen taking on these massive sharks single-handedly.

Along with Statham, the returning cast members in The Meg 2: The Trench include Cliff Curtis as Mac, Sophia Cai as Meiying, and Page Kennedy as DJ. They seem to form a core cast for these movies, and they could all be expected to return for The Meg 3 having all survived The Meg 2: The Trench. One of the notable newcomers to the franchise is Jing Wu as a new ally of Jonas. It is also worth noting that international star Li Bingbing won't return for The Meg 2: The Trench, but the door might be left open for her to return as Suyin in The Meg 3.

The Meg 3: Story Details

There are no The Meg 3 story details at this stage, but there are some hints as to the direction the franchise will be heading. Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura discussed (via Collider) a change in tone for The Meg 2: The Trench, adding some more comedic elements to the movie. Speaking about the response of the first movie, Di Bonaventura shared that "one of the things we learned is young could add more comedy than we originally thought in a shark movie."

With a funnier tone and the PG-13 rating, it is clear the franchise still wants to appeal to a younger audience even amidst all the shark attack action. The Meg 3 will mostly certainly follow this new direction as well, opening the movie up to a big fun and silly popcorn movie. It remains to be seen how this approach will work for the sequel, but if it proves to connect with fans like Di Bonaventura is hoping, audiences could see The Meg 3 before too long.

What Director Ben Wheatley's Plans Are For The Meg 3

Director Ben Wheatley has spoken openly about his plans for The Meg 3, first touting the idea of a The Meg triology prior to The Meg 2's August 2023 release. While he admitted that it is perhaps premature to discuss it before the release of the second movie, director Ben Wheatley commented on the future of The Meg 3 and beyond as the potential for the franchise looks bright. Wheatley suggested in terms of sequels, "There's a lot more to explore in that world." This hints there may be some reveals in The Meg 2: The Trench that could expand the franchise going forward.

Wheatley also added the "international-ness of it is very interesting." Indeed, both The Meg movies to date have taken advantage of its international cast. In some ways, with the diverse ensemble and the over-the-top action, it is not hard to see a Fast and Furious influence with The Meg franchise, and could hint at what the plans for the future movies are. Franchises like The Fast Saga and even Mission: Impossible take a simple core premise and have stretched it across nearly dozens of sequels - and it's not difficult to envision the same for The Meg.

The formula for The Meg movies definitely means there'd be no issues creating more sequels from a narrative perspective — as the numerous Jaws sequels proved. Part of the charm of The Meg movies is that their premise is simple — there is an impossibly big shark. With The Meg 2 upping the ante by introducing three big sharks instead of just one, creating a story for The Meg 3 would be straightforward and simple without any risk of ruining what draws audiences.

How The Meg 2 Ending Sets Up The Meg 3

The Meg 2: The Trench ending is a relatively happy ending for the heroes, with Jason Statham and co having escaped the villains as well as the trio of Megalodons and other prehistoric oversized sea-life. However, the ending of The Meg 2 leaves the possibility of more threats to come in the future. Among the three Megalodon sharks featured in The Meg 2, one survives. Haiqi is a Megalodon shark who was raised in captivity and with Jiuming training her to obey his commands. While the chooses not to eat the heroes in the end, possibly due to Jiuming's training, there's no guarantee her trained empathy for humans will last.

It is discovered that the Megalodons were in mating season and suggests Haiqi is likely pregnant. This also sets up the possibility of the The Meg 3 dealing with a boord of juvenile Megalodon sharks being unleashed into the world, and Jonas and his team having to stop them once again. There is no post-credit scene for The Meg 2: The Trench, having this simply tease set up the potential sequel without committing too much to the idea of The Meg 3.