BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography is underway in New Zealand on the science fiction action thriller “Meg,” being directed by Jon Turteltaub (the “National Treasure” movies, “Last Vegas”). The film stars Jason Statham (“Spy,” “Furious 7,” “The Expendables” films). Award-winning Chinese actress Li Bingbing (“Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “Forbidden Kingdom,” “The Message”) has been set to star opposite Statham.
A deep-sea submersible—part of an international undersea observation program—has been attacked by a massive creature, previously thought to be extinct, and now lies disabled at the bottom of the deepest trench in the Pacific…with its crew trapped inside. With time running out, expert deep sea rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Statham) is recruited by a visionary Chinese oceanographer (Winston Chao), against the wishes of his daughter Suyin (Li Bingbing), to save the crew—and the ocean itself—from this unstoppable threat: a pre-historic 75-foot-long shark known as the Megalodon. What no one could have imagined is that, years before, Taylor had encountered this same terrifying creature. Now, teamed with Suyin, he must confront his fears and risk his own life to save everyone trapped below…bringing him face to face once more with the greatest and largest predator of all time.
Rounding out the international main cast of “Meg” are New Zealander Cliff Curtis (“The Dark Horse,” “Risen,” TV’s “Fear the Walking Dead”), Rainn Wilson (TV’s “The Office,” “Super”), Ruby Rose (“xXx: Return of Xander Cage,” TV’s “Orange is the New Black”), Winston Chao (“Skiptrace,” “Kabali”), Page Kennedy (TV’s “Rush Hour”), Jessica McNamee (“The Vow,” TV’s “Sirens”), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (“The BFG,” TV’s “The Missing”), Robert Taylor (“Focus,” TV’s “Longmire”), Sophia Shuya Cai (“Somewhere Only We Know”), and Masi Oka (TV’s “Hawaii Five-0,” “Heroes”).
Turteltaub is directing the film from a screenplay by Dean Georgaris and Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber, based on the New York Times best-selling book by Steve Alten. Lorenzo di Bonaventura (the “Transformers” films), Belle Avery (“Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead”) and Colin Wilson (“Suicide Squad,” “Avatar”) are producing the film, with Wayne Wei Jiang, Randy Greenberg, Barrie M. Osborne and Gerald R. Molen serving as executive producers.
Turteltaub’s behind-the-scenes team includes Oscar-nominated director of photography Tom Stern (“Changeling,” “Sully,” “American Sniper,” “The Hunger Games”), Oscar-winning production designer Grant Major (“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “X-Men- Apocalypse”), editor Steven Kemper (“Salt,” “Mission: Impossible II,” “Face/Off”) and costume designer Amanda Neale (“Truth,” “Pete’s Dragon,” “What We Do in the Shadows”).
In addition to New Zealand, filming on “Meg” is also being accomplished on location in China.
“Meg” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures and Gravity Pictures. It is production of di Bonaventura Pictures, Apelles Entertainment, Maeday Productions, Inc., and Flagship Entertainment, in association with Beijing Digital Impression (BDI) Film, Inc.
“Meg” will be distributed in China by Gravity Pictures during Chinese New Year 2018, and throughout the rest of the world by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Entertainment Company, slated for release on March 2, 2018.
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