Big screen shark attack sequel Meg 2: The Trench will be swimming into theaters on August 4, 2023, and today the film has received its official rating from the MPA.
Like the previous film, Meg 2: The Trench has been rated “PG-13” for…
“Action/violence, some bloody images, language and brief suggestive material.”
Last week’s bloody official trailer suggested that Meg 2 could potentially be going a bit harder on the violence than the disappointing 2018 movie, but there was realistically no way Warner Bros. was going to risk potentially cutting into the sequel’s box office profits with an “R” rating.
The good news? As the trailer suggests, there are a lot of gruesome ways a massive shark can eat people – and other monsters, including a T-Rex this time around! – while still sticking to that PG-13 rating. After all, the three Megalodon sharks in the upcoming movie are so large that they’re literally swallowing humans whole, which is an easy way to avoid the gorier bits.
There’s quite a lot you can get away with in a PG-13 shark attack movie…
Get ready for the ultimate adrenaline rush this summer in Meg 2: The Trench, a literally larger-than-life thrill ride that supersizes the 2018 blockbuster and takes the action to higher heights and even greater depths with multiple massive Megs and so much more!
Dive into uncharted waters with Jason Statham and global action icon Wu Jing as they lead a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal Megs and relentless environmental plunderers, our heroes must outrun, outsmart, and outswim their merciless predators in a pulse-pounding race against time. Immerse yourself in the most electrifying cinematic experience of the year with Meg 2: The Trench – where the depths of the ocean are matched only by the heights of sheer, unstoppable excitement!
Warner Bros. Pictures and CMC Pictures present Meg 2: The Trench, with Statham and Jing headlining an ensemble cast that also includes Sophia Cai (The Meg), Page Kennedy (The Meg), Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Rambo: Last Blood), Skyler Samuels (The Gifted) and Cliff Curtis (Avatar franchise).
Meg 2: The Trench is directed by Ben Wheatley (In the Earth, Free Fire), from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber (The Meg, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Dean Georgaris (The Meg, Lara Croft: Toom Raider – The Cradle of Life), and a screen story by Dean Georgaris and Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber, based on the novel The Trench by Steve Alten.
The film is produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura (The Meg, Bumblebee) and Belle Avery (The Meg, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead), and executive produced by Jason Statham, Cate Adams, Ruigang Li, Catherine Xujun Ying, Wu Jing, E. Bennett Walsh, Erik Howsam, Gerald R. Molen and Randy Greenberg.
Joining director Wheatley behind the camera are director of photography Haris Zambarloukous (Belfast, Murder on the Orient Express), production designer Chris Lowe (The Gray Man, No Time to Die) and editor Jonathan Amos (Baby Driver, Paddington 2). The visual effects supervisor is Pete Bebb (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Inception), and costume designer is Lindsay Pugh (The Matrix Resurrections, Krypton). The music is by Harry Gregson-Williams (The Meg, The Martian).
Jon Turteltaub’s The Meg, based on Steve Alten’s Meg novels, was released in theaters back in 2018, devouring over $500 million at the worldwide box office. Jason Statham starred as heroic shark-slayer Jonas Taylor, part of a group of scientists exploring the Mariana Trench who encounter the largest marine predator that has ever existed – the Megalodon.
