The Meg is a 2018 science fiction action film directed by Jon Turteltaub with a screenplay by Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber, and Erich Hoeber, loosely based on the 1997 book Meg A Novel of Deep Terror by Steve Alten. The film stars Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose and Winston Chao. The film follows a group of scientists who encounter a 75-foot-long (23 m) megalodon shark while on a rescue mission at the floor of the Pacific Ocean.
Walt Disney Studios originally purchased the film rights to the book in the 1990s, but spent several years in development hell. The rights eventually landed at Warner Bros. Pictures, and the film was green-lit in 2015. Turteltaub and much of the cast joined by September 2016, and filming began the following month in New Zealand and Sanya, China, ending in January 2017. The Meg was released in both countries on August 10, 2018, in RealD 3D. It was a box office success and grossed over $530 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics, with some describing it as entertaining and others calling it “neither good enough nor bad enough” to be fun. A sequel is in development.
Directed by
Jon Turteltaub
Produced by
Lorenzo di Bonaventura
Colin Wilson
Belle Avery
Screenplay by
Dean Georgaris
Jon Hoeber
Erich Hoeber
Based on
Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror
by Steve Alten
Starring
Jason Statham
Li Bingbing
Rainn Wilson
Ruby Rose
Winston Chao
Cliff Curtis
Music by
Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography
Tom Stern
Edited by
Steven Kemper
Production company
Gravity Pictures
Flagship Entertainment
Apelles Entertainment
Di Bonaventura Pictures
Maeday Productions
Distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
August 10, 2018 (United States and China)
Running time
1 Hour 53 Minutes
Country
China
United States
Language
English
Budget
$130–178 million
Box office
$530.2 million
