If you’re already sold on the idea of Jason Statham going up against a colossal and prehistoric megalodon shark, we have some bad news for you; Variety is reporting that Meg, Jon Turteltaub’s maritime thriller of one man’s encounter with a monster from a bygone era, has been postponed to August 10th, 2018.
That’s a full five-month delay from its original release window of March 2018, but the news effectively safeguards Meg from an untitled Fox/Marvel project. Set to be released in 3D and IMAX theaters – not unlike the Pirhana series – Jon Turteltaub’s giant shark pic is based on Steve Alten’s 1997 sci-fi novel, Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror. Telling the story of one Jonas Taylor (Statham?), Alten’s page-turner follows our decorated deep sea diver into the murky depths of the Mariana Trench, where he counters the 75-foot behemoth, live and in the flesh. It’s considered the largest shark that ever lived, so news that the megalodon is still kicking is enough to place all coastlines around the Ring of Fire on red alert.
Filming on Meg got underway in New Zealand late last year, where Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, Jessica McNamee, Ruby Rose (John Wick: Chapter 2, xXx: Return of Xander Cage), and Rainn Wilson joined Jason Statham on deck.
In light of this switcheroo, Meg will now make a beeline for theaters on August 11th, 2018. So far, the only other movies penciled in for August of next year are Universal’s Scarface remake, an untitled live-action Disney movie (The Lion King?) and Holmes and Watson, the comedic spin on Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary sleuth headed up by Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.